A.M. Bencheikh

MEASUREMENT OF TAU BRANCHING RATIOS

Using the data accumulated at LEP in 1989 and 1990 with the ALEPH detector, the inclusive and exclusive branching ratios of the τ lepton have been measured assuming lepton universality inZ0 decays. The inclusive branching fractions for the τ decay into one, three, and five charged particles have been determined to be (85.45±0.97)%, (14.35±0.48)%, and (0.10±0.05)%, respectively, in agreement with the world averages. New undetected decay modes are determined to have a branching fraction of less than 2.1% at 95% CL. The measured branching ratios for quasi-exclusive channels are slightly larger than, but consistent with the world averages, except for the modes τ→3 hadrons+vτ andτ→hadron+2π0vτ, which are significantly larger. These latter branching ratios have been found to be (9.5±0.7)% and (10.2±1.1)%, respectively. The sum of all the measured quasi-exclusive branching ratios is (100.4±1.8)%. A fully exclusive analysis of modes with neutral pions shows no evidence for new photonic decay modes with a branching fraction limit of 3.4% at 95% CL.