Tau Polarimetry with Inclusive Decays

Abstract

The spin asymmetry parameter $A_τ$ characterizing the angular distribution of the total hadron momentum in the decay of a polarized tau can be calculated rigorously using perturbative QCD and the operator product expansion. Perturbative QCD corrections to the free quark result $A_τ= 1/3$ can be expressed as a power series in $α_s(M_τ)$ and nonperturbative QCD corrections can be expanded systematically in powers of $1/M_τ^2$. The QCD prediction is $A_τ= 0.41 \pm 0.02$. In the decay of a high energy tau into hadrons, the value of the hadronic energy distribution $dR_τ/dz$ evaluated at the maximum hadronic energy fraction $z = 1$ can also be calculated rigorously from QCD.