Heavy-Neutrino Chirality Enhancement of the Decay $K_L -> eμ$ in Left-Right Symmetric Models

Abstract

We study the decay $K_L -> eμ$ in minimal extensions of the Standard Model based on the gauge groups $SU(2)_L x U(1)_Y$ and $SU(2)_R x SU(2)_L x U(1)_{B-L}$, in which heavy Majorana neutrinos are present. In $SU(2)_L x U(1)_Y$ models with chiral neutral singlets, $B(K_L -> eμ)$ cannot be much larger than $5 x 10^{-15}$ without violating other low-energy constraints. In $SU(2)_L x SU(2)_R x U(1)_{B-L}$ models, we find that heavy-neutrino-chirality enhancements due to the presence of left-handed and right- handed currents can give rise to a branching ratio close to the present experimental limit $B(K_L -> e μ)< 3.3 x 10^{-11}$.