PRECISION LIFETIME MEASUREMENT ON POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE MUONS

Abstract

An experiment to measure and compare the free decay rates of positive and negative muons is described. Muons from the Nevis Synchrocyclotron were stopped in a liquid hydrogen target containing less than 1 ppm of deuterium and less than 1 part in 1 billion of other impurities. In this situation, the rate of negative muon capture in hydrogen was the only significant correction to the free decay rate of negative muons and was measured in a separate experiment. The lifetimes were monitored by measuring the time intervals between muon stops and decay electrons using a transistorized digitron of 30 nsec channel width. Electronic circuitry of the ''interference remover'' type was employed to eliminate time-dependent background. Negative and positive muon lifetimes were measured with the same apparatus and under essentially the same conditions of rate and geometry. The ratio of the lifetimes is expected to be particularly insensitive to any systematic errors.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 01, 1963
Accession Number
AD0407559

Entities

People

  • E. J. Bleser
  • Erik Anderson
  • J. L. Rosen
  • L. M. Lederman
  • S. L. Meyer

Organizations

  • Columbia University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Advanced Electronics

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Antimuons
  • Antiparticles
  • Beta Decay
  • Counters
  • Data Storage Systems
  • Dead Time
  • Detectors
  • Government Procurement
  • Measurement
  • New York
  • Nuclear Physics
  • Precision
  • Scintillation Counters
  • Standards
  • Time Intervals
  • United States
  • Universities

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Ballistic Missile Meteorology
  • Plasma Physics.
  • Pulsed Power and Plasma Physics.

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics