Quark Mixing Matrix Studies and Lepton Flavor Violation Searches Using Rare Decays of Kaons

TL;DR

This paper reviews recent experimental results on rare kaon decays, focusing on lepton flavor violation searches and quark mixing measurements, highlighting their implications for testing the Standard Model and CP violation.

Contribution

It summarizes 15 years of LFV searches and recent CKM measurements from kaon decays, providing insights into Standard Model tests and future prospects.

Findings

LFV searches have reached their experimental limits for now.

Recent CKM measurements from kaon decays support the Standard Model.

Future experiments may clarify CP violation mechanisms.

Abstract

I review recent results from experiments on rare decays of kaons, concentrating on searches for lepton flavor violation (LFV) and on measurements of quark mixing (CKM) matrix elements. The LFV results are the culmination of 15 years of experimentation at Brookhaven National Laboratory and are unlikely to be improved upon soon. The CKM studies derive from measurements of decay rates of charged and neutral kaons into lepton anti-lepton pairs, both with and without a charged or neutral pion. I discuss recent results and prospects for improved measurements that could provide an unambiguous test of the Standard Model explanation for CP violation. This paper is the written version of a talk presented at the Lepton-Photon Conference in August 1999.