The current status of the experimental study of the rare kaon decay K^+ to pi^+ u bar u at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) by the E787 and E949 collaborations is reported.
An upper limit on the branching ratio for the decay $K^+ ! rightarrow ! pi^+ u overline{ u}$ is set at $2.4 times 10^{-9}$ at the 90% C.L. using pions in the kinematic region $214~{rm MeV}/c < P_pi < 231~{rm MeV}/c$. An upper limit of $5.2 times 10^
{-10}$ is found on the branching ratio for decays $K^+ ! rightarrow ! pi^+ X^0$, where $X^0$ is any massless, weakly interacting neutral particle. Limits are also set for cases where $M_{X^0}>0$.
The NA62 experiment will begin taking data in 2015. Its primary purpose is a 10% measurement of the branching ratio of the ultrarare kaon decay $K^+ to pi^+ u bar{ u }$, using the decay in flight of kaons in an unseparated beam with momentum 75 GeV
/c.The detector and analysis technique are described here.
Using data collected by the fixed target Fermilab experiment FOCUS, we present several first measurements for the semileptonic decay $D^0 to bar{K}^0pi^-mu^+ u$. Using a model that includes a $bar{K}^0 pi^-$ S-wave component, we measure the form fact
or ratios to be r_v= 1.706+-0.677+-0.342 and r_2= 0.912+-0.370+-0.104 and the S-wave amplitude to be A=0.347+-0.222+-0.053 GeV^-1. Finally, we measure the vector semileptonic branching ratio $frac{Gamma(D^0 to K^{*}(892){-}mu^+ u)}{Gamma(D^0 to bar{K}^0pi^-pi^+)}= 0.337+-0.034+-0.013.
Evidence of the $K^+tomu^+ ubar u u$ decay was searched for using E949 experimental data with an exposure of $1.70times 10^{12}$ stopped kaons. The data sample is dominated by the backgrond process $K^+tomu^+ u_mugamma$. An upper limit on the decay r
ate $Gamma(K^+tomu^+ ubar u u)< 2.4times 10^{-6}Gamma(K^+to all)$ at 90% confidence level was set assuming the Standard Model muon spectrum. The data are presented in such a way as to allow calculation of rates for any assumed $mu^+$ spectrum.
We report the results of a search for the decay $K^+ to pi^+ u bar u$ in the kinematic region with $pi^+$ momentum $140 < P < 195$ MeV/c using the data collected by the E787 experiment at BNL. No events were observed. When combined with our previou
s search in this region, one candidate event with an expected background of $1.22 pm 0.24$ events results in a 90% C.L. upper limit of $2.2 times 10^{-9}$ on the branching ratio of $K^+ to pi^+ u bar u$. We also report improved limits on the rates of $K^+ to pi^+ X^0$ and $K^+ to pi^+ X^1 X^2$ where $X^0, X^1, X^2$ are hypothetical, massless, long-lived neutral particles.