Observation of $D^+_s\to \eta^\prime \mu^+\nu_\mu$, Precision Test of Lepton Flavor Universality with $D^+_s\to \eta^{(\prime)} \ell^+\nu_\ell$, and First Measurements of $D^+_s\to \eta^{(\prime)}\mu^+\nu_\mu$ Decay Dynamics

TL;DR

This paper reports the first observation of the semileptonic decay $D_s^+ o a^\prime \mu^+ u_\mu$, precise measurements of decay dynamics, and tests of lepton flavor universality using data from the BESIII detector, significantly improving measurement precision.

Contribution

It provides the first measurements of $D_s^+ o a^\prime \mu^+ u_\mu$ decay dynamics and tests lepton flavor universality with improved precision, constraining theoretical models of form factors.

Findings

Observation of $D_s^+ o a^\prime \mu^+ u_\mu$ with >10$\sigma$ significance

Branching fractions measured with 6-7 times better precision

No evidence of lepton flavor universality violation

Abstract

By analyzing 7.33 fb$^{-1}$ of $e^+e^-$ annihilation data collected at center-of-mass energies between 4.128 and 4.226 GeV with the BESIII detector, we report the observation of the semileptonic decay $D^+_s\to \eta^\prime \mu^+\nu_\mu$, with a statistical significance larger than 10$\sigma$, and the measurements of the $D_s^+ \to \eta\mu^+\nu_\mu$ and $D_s^+ \to \eta^\prime\mu^+\nu_\mu$ decay dynamics for the first time. The branching fractions of $D_s^+ \to \eta\mu^+\nu_\mu$ and $D_s^+ \to \eta^\prime\mu^+\nu_\mu$ are determined to be $(2.235\pm0.051_{\rm stat}\pm0.052_{\rm syst})\%$ and $(0.801\pm0.055_{\rm stat}\pm0.028_{\rm syst})\%$, respectively, with precision improved by factors of 6.0 and 6.6 compared to the previous best measurements. Combined with the results for the decays $D_s^+ \to \eta e^+\nu_e$ and $D_s^+ \to \eta^\prime e^+\nu_e$, the ratios of the decay widths are examined both inclusively and in several $\ell^+\nu_\ell$ four-momentum transfer ranges. No evidence for lepton flavor universality violation is found within the current statistics. The products of the hadronic form factors $f_{+,0}^{\eta^{(\prime)}}(0)$ and the $c\to s$ Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix element $|V_{cs}|$ are determined. The results based on the two-parameter series expansion are $f^{\eta}_{+,0}(0)|V_{cs}| = 0.452\pm0.010_{\rm stat}\pm0.007_{\rm syst}$ and $f^{\eta^{\prime}}_{+,0}(0)|V_{cs}| = 0.504\pm0.037_{\rm stat}\pm0.012_{\rm syst}$, which help to constrain present models on $f_{+,0}^{\eta^{(\prime)}}(0)$. The forward-backward asymmetries are determined to be $\langle A_{\rm FB}^\eta\rangle=-0.059\pm0.031_{\rm stat}\pm0.005_{\rm syst}$ and $\langle A_{\rm FB}^{\eta^\prime}\rangle=-0.064\pm0.079_{\rm stat}\pm0.006_{\rm syst}$ for the first time, which are consistent with the theoretical calculation.