A new idea to search for charged lepton flavor violation using a muonic atom

TL;DR

This paper proposes a novel process involving muonic atoms to search for charged lepton flavor violation, leveraging Coulomb attraction effects to enhance detection prospects and complement existing methods.

Contribution

It introduces a new experimental approach using muonic atoms to detect charged lepton flavor violation with estimated branching ratios.

Findings

Estimated upper limit of branching ratio: 10^(-17) to 10^(-18)

Significant enhancement due to Coulomb attraction in heavy muonic atoms

Complementary to existing charged lepton flavor violation searches

Abstract

We propose a new process of mu(-) e(-) -> e(-) e(-) in a muonic atom for a quest of charged lepton flavor violation. The Coulomb attraction from the nucleus in a heavy muonic atom leads to significant enhancement in its rate, compared to mu(+) e(-) -> e(+) e(-). The upper limit of the branching ratio is estimated to be of the orders of O[10^(-17)-10^(-18)] for the photonic and the four Fermi interactions from the present experimental constraints. The search for this process could serve complementarily with the other relevant processes to shed lights upon the nature of charged lepton flavor violation.