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arXiv · 2607.14077

Renormalizing a three-flavor lattice calculation of the two-photon contribution to $K_L\to\mu^+\mu^-$

En-Hung Chao·Norman Christ·Ceran Hu
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Abstract

The Standard Model prediction for the rare $K_L\to\mu^+\mu^-$ decay depends critically on the long-distance contribution coming from the exchange of two photons. Such a contribution can be computed using lattice QCD and an effective three-flavor theory including only the $u$, $d$ and $s$ quarks, provided terms falling as the inverse square of the omitted charm quark mass, $1/m_c^2$ are neglected. Because of the missing Glashow-Iliopoulos-Maiani cancelation, this three-flavor theory contains additional low-energy constants that depend on $m_c$. Here we show how these constants can be determined from a practical four-flavor lattice QCD calculation performed on a small volume with $u$ and $d$ quark masses that are heavier than physical.

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En-Hung Chao, Norman Christ, Ceran Hu. 2026-07-15. Renormalizing a three-flavor lattice calculation of the two-photon contribution to $K_L\to\mu^+\mu^-$. https://arxiv.org/abs/2607.14077

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