Status of the COMET experiment

Abstract

The COMET (COherent Muon to Electron Transition) experiment, currently being built in Tokai, Japan, will search for the coherent neutrinoless transition of muons to electrons in the coulomb field of atomic nuclei. The process is highly suppressed in the Standard Model and therefore provides a promising channel to probe new physics. The experiment will be carried out in a staged approach. Phase-I of COMET aims to search for the process with a single event sensitivity of 𝒪(10−15). Additionally, precise measurements of muon beam dynamics and detector prototyping for Phase-II will be conducted. Utilizing a much higher intensity proton beam, a more complex and longer muon/electron transport system, and gained experience from Phase-I, an improvement of at least four orders of magnitude over the current best branching ratio limit up to 𝒪(10−17) is envisioned for Phase-II. This article will give a status report for Phase-I of COMET.