• Accepted Paper

Muon lifetime and Fermi constant: an update

Alexander Eberhart, Matteo Fael, Alexander Keshavarzi, Daisuke Nomura, Kay Schönwald, Matthias Steinhauser, Thomas Teubner, and Aidan Wright

Phys. Rev. Lett. - Accepted 28 October, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/l12j-mdsl

Abstract

We present an updated prediction for the lifetime of the muon including a detailed analysis of all relevant uncertainties. Our prediction includes QED corrections up to order α3 and state-of-the-art hadronic contributions based on dispersive methods. Radiative corrections and finite-electron-mass effects are parametrized by the correction factor Δq in τμ−1=GF2mμ5(1+Δq)/(192π3), for which we obtain Δq=(−4384700±34)×10−9. This reduces the uncertainty associated with Δq by an order of magnitude compared to the previous prediction at order α2. We use our results to provide an updated value of the Fermi coupling constant, GF=1.16637860(59)×10−5GeV−2 (consistent with the current PDG estimate). Further improvements will require better measurements of the muon lifetime and mass.

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