Study of the tau- --> 3h-2h+nu Decay

Abstract

The branching fraction of the tau- --> 3h- 2h+ nu decay (h= pi, kaon) is measured with the BaBar detector to be (8.56 +/- 0.05 +/- 0.42)E-04 where the first error is statistical and the second systematic. The observed structure of this decay is significantly different from the phase space prediction, with the rho resonance playing a strong role. The decay tau- --> f1 pi nu with the f1 meson decaying to four charged pions, is observed and the branching fraction is measured to be (3.9 +/- 0.7 +/- 0.5)E-04.

3 figures. submitted to Phys. Rev. D