Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-particle-and-nuclear-physics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2017/1/c/solution

For negligible final fermion masses, the chiral Z-boson partial width is proportional to . Both channels have one color state. An Electron has , and , giving
For one active neutrino species, , and there is no coupled right-handed neutrino field, so , . The common coupling normalization and phase space cancel in the ratio:
The same total decay width appears in the two branching fractions, so
There is no factor of three for a single specified flavour. Summing three active neutrino flavours would give an invisible branching fraction of approximately in this approximation.

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