Results are reported from a search for the lepton flavor violating decay τ → 3μ in proton-proton collisions at s√ = 13 TeV. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 33.2 fb−1 recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC in 2016. The search exploits τ leptons produced in both W boson and heavy-flavor hadron decays. No significant excess above the expected background is observed. An upper limit on the branching fraction ℬ(τ → 3μ) of 8.0 × 10−8 at 90% confidence level is obtained, with an expected upper limit of 6.9 × 10−8.

Individuals have received support from the Marie-Curie program and the European Research Council and Horizon 2020 Grant, contract Nos. 675440, 752730, and 765710 (European Union); CERN; the Programa Estatal de Fomento de la Investigación Científica y Técnica de Excelencia María de Maeztu, grant MDM-2015-0509 and the Programa Severo Ochoa del Principado de Asturias.

CMS Collaboration: et al.

Article funded by SCOAP3.

Peer reviewed