Probing Lepton Flavor Violation at Future Colliders

Abstract

Supersymmetric theories with significant lepton flavor violation have $\tilde{e}$ and $\tildeμ$ nearly degenerate. In this case, pair production of $\tilde{e}^+ \tilde{e}^-$ and $\tildeμ^+ \tildeμ^-$ at LEPII and at the Next Linear Collider leads to the phenomenon of slepton oscillations, which is analogous to neutrino oscillations. The reach in $Δm^2$ and $\sin^2 2 θ$ gives a probe of lepton flavor violation which is significantly more powerful than the current bounds from rare processes, such as $μ\to eγ$. Polarizable $e^-$ beams and the $e^-e^-$ mode at the NLC are found to be promising options.