Extraction of m_s and |V_us| from Hadronic Tau Decays

Abstract

We review recent work to determine the strange quark mass m_s as well as the proposal to determine |V_{us}| using hadronic tau decay data. The recent update of the strange spectral function by OPAL and their moments of the invariant mass distribution are employed. Our results are |V_us|=0.2208 +- 0.0034 and m_s (2 GeV)=81 +- 22 MeV. Our result is already competitive to the standard extraction of |V_us| from K_e3 decays and to the new proposals to determine it. The error on V_us is dominated by experiment and will be eventually much improved by the B-factories hadronic tau data. Ultimately, a simultaneous fit of both m_s and |V_us| to a set of moments of the hadronic tau decays invariant mass distribution will provide one of the most accurate determinations of these Standard Model parameters.

Comments: Invited talk given by J.P. at TAU04, 14-17 September 2004, Nara (Japan)