Search for the Lepton Flavour Violating Decay \(\mu^{+} \to e^+ \gamma\) with the Full Dataset of the MEG Experiment

Abstract

The final results of the search for the lepton flavour violating decay \(\mu^{+} \rightarrow {\rm e^{+}} \gamma\) based on the full dataset collected by the MEG experiment at the Paul Scherrer Institut in the period 2009--2013 and totalling \(7.5\times 10^{14}\) stopped muons on target are presented. No significant excess of events is observed in the dataset with respect to the expected background and a new upper limit on the branching ratio of this decay of \(BR( \mu^{+} \rightarrow {\rm e^{+}} \gamma ) < 4.2 \times 10^{-13}\) (90\%\ confidence level) is established, which represents the most stringent limit on the existence of this decay to date.