Disentangling violations of CPT from other new-physics effects

TL;DR

This paper explores how to distinguish genuine CPT violation signals from other new-physics effects in neutral meson systems, proposing methods to isolate CPT-violating parameters using decay data.

Contribution

It develops a formalism to separate CPT violation from other new-physics effects in neutral meson experiments, especially in correlated P0-P0bar pairs.

Findings

CPT violation can be isolated using combined decay modes.

Single meson decay analysis is limited at Upsilon(4S).

A formalism for new-physics effects in production mechanisms is provided.

Abstract

We analyze the prospects for observing CPT violation using neutral-meson P0-P0bar systems. Before one can claim a measurement of CPT violation, one must be able to rule out the possibility that its result is due to simpler new-physics effects. In particular, one must be able to separate the CPT-violating quantities from parameters violating the Delta P = \Delta Q rule of semileptonic decays, and from new-physics contributions to the production mechanism of the neutral mesons. One can isolate CPT violation using the semileptonic decays of single, tagged neutral mesons; unfortunately, this situation cannot be implemented at the Upsilon(4S). For P0-P0bar pairs produced in a correlated parity-odd state we show that, by combining the di-lepton with the single-lepton decays, it is in principle possible to extract unambiguously one CPT-violating parameter. Finally, we develop the formalism necessary for describing new-physics effects in the production mechanism; this includes both cascade decays and violations of the rule of associated production.