Search for flavor-changing-neutral-current D meson decays

Abstract

We study the flavor-changing-neutral-current process c to u mu+ mu- using 1.3 fb^-1 of p p bar collisions at sqrt(s) = 1.96 TeV recorded by the D0 detector operating at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. We see clear indications of the Ds+ and D+ to phi pi+ to mu+ mu- pi+ final states with significance greater than four standard deviations above background for the D+ state. We search for the continuum decay of D+ to pi+mu+mu- in the dimuon invariant mass spectrum away from the phi resonance. We see no evidence of signal above background and set a limit of B(D+ to pi+mu+mu-) < 3.9 x 10^-6 at the 90% C.L. This limit places the most stringent constraint on new phenomena in the c to u mu+ mu- transition.