Charged lepton flavor violation: An experimenter's guide

Charged lepton flavor violation (CLFV) is a clear signal of new physics; it directly addresses the physics of flavor and of generations. The search for CLFV has continued from the early 1940s, when the muon was identified as a separate particle, until today. Certainly in the LHC era the motivations for continued searches are clear and have been covered in many reviews. This review is focused on the experimental history with a view toward how these searches might progress. We examine the status of searches for charged lepton flavor violation in the muon, tau, and other channels, and then examine the prospects for new efforts over the next decade. Finally, we examine what paths might be taken after the conclusion of upcoming experiments and what facilities might be required. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.