A Precise Measurement of the Tau Lepton Lifetime

The tau lepton lifetime has been measured using three different methods with the DELPHI detector. Two measurements of one-prong decays are combined, accounting for correlations, giving a result of \tau_\tau = 291.8 \pm 3.3 \mbox{ (stat.)} \pm 2.0 \mbox{(sys.) fs} while the decay length distribution of three-prong decays gives the result \tau_{\tau} = 286.7 \pm 4.9 \mbox{ (stat.)} \pm 3.3 \mbox{ (sys.) fs}. Combining the results presented here with previous DELPHI measurements, we get \tau_{\tau} = 291.4 \pm 3.0 fs and find that the ratio of the coupling constant for tau decay relative to that for muon decay is 0.990 \pm 0.009, compatible with lepton universality.