Search for the lepton flavor violating decay ? ? 3? in proton-proton collisions at ?s = 13 TeV

Abstract

Results are reported from a search for the lepton flavor violating decay ? ? 3? in proton-proton collisions at s = 13 TeV. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 33.2 fb?1 recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC in 2016. The search exploits ? leptons produced in both W boson and heavy-flavor hadron decays. No significant excess above the expected background is observed. An upper limit on the branching fraction ?(? ? 3?) of 8.0 � 10?8 at 90% confidence level is obtained, with an expected upper limit of 6.9 � 10?8. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] � 2021, The Author(s).