BACKGROUND SUPPRESSION FOR MU-]GAMMA WITH POLARIZED MUONS

A search for the lepton-flavor-violating mu(+) --> e(+)gamma decay usi ng polarized muons is reexamined in terms of suppression of the seriou s background arising from an accidental coincidence between an e(+) in the normal muon decay and a high energy photon in the radiative muon decay, mu(+) --> e(+) <nu(nu)over bar gamma>. It is found that a high energy photon in mu(+) --> e(+) <nu(nu)over bar gamma> decay is prefer entially emitted parallel to the muon spin direction, similarly to e() in the normal muon decay. The selective measurements of either e(+)' s or photons moving antiparallel to the muon spin direction would supp ress the accidental background for mu(+) --> e(+)gamma with right-hand ed and left-handed e(+)'s, respectively.