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Studies of muonic hydrogen atoms and molecules have been performed traditionally in bulk targets of gas, liquid or solid. At TRIUMF, Canadas meson facility, we have developed a new type of target system using multilayer thin films of solid hydrogen, which provides a beam of muonic hydrogen atoms in vacuum. Using the time-of-flight of the muonic atoms, the energy-dependent information of muonic reactions are obtained in direct manner. We discuss some unique measurements enabled by the new technique, with emphasis on processes relevant to muon catalyzed fusion.
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Background: The rate lambda_ppmu characterizes the formation of ppmu molecules in collisions of muonic pmu atoms with hydrogen. In measurements of the basic weak muon capture reaction on the proton to determine the pseudoscalar coupling g_P, capture occurs from both atomic and molecular states. Thus knowledge of lambda_ppmu is required for a correct interpretation of these experiments. Purpose: Recently the MuCap experiment has measured the capture rate Lambda_S from the singlet pmu atom, employing a low density active target to suppress ppmu formation (PRL 110, 12504 (2013)). Nevertheless, given the unprecedented precision of this experiment, the existing experimental knowledge in lambda_ppmu had to be improved. Method: The MuCap experiment derived the weak capture rate from the muon disappearance rate in ultra-pure hydrogen. By doping the hydrogen with 20 ppm of argon, a competing process to ppmu formation was introduced, which allowed the extraction of lambda_ppmu from the observed time distribution of decay electrons. Results: The ppmu formation rate was measured as lambda_ppmu = (2.01 +- 0.06(stat) +- 0.03(sys)) 10^6 s^-1. This result updates the lambda_ppmu value used in the above mentioned MuCap publication. Conclusions: The 2.5x higher precision compared to earlier experiments and the fact that the measurement was performed at nearly identical conditions to the main data taking, reduces the uncertainty induced by lambda_ppmu to a minor contribution to the overall uncertainty of Lambda_S and g_P, as determined in MuCap. Our final value for lambda_ppmu shifts Lambda_S and g_P by less than one tenth of their respective uncertainties compared to our results published earlier.
The atomic cascade in $mu^- p$ and $pi^- p$ atoms has been studied with the improved version of the extended cascade model in which new quantum mechanical calculations of the differential and integral cross sections of the elastic scattering, Stark transitions and Coulomb de-excitation have been included for the principal quantum number values $nle 8$ and the relative energies $E ge 0.01$ eV. The $X$-ray yields and kinetic energy distributions are compared with the experimental data.
Studies of muonic atoms and muon catalyzed fusion have been conventionally done in a bulk target of gas, liquid or solid hydrogen isotopes. The use of thin film targets developed at TRIUMF have notable advantages in tackling some of the most important questions in the field, which could be further exploited at future high intensity muon sources. We review the technique of the thin film method with emphasis on recent results and a future proposal.
We report the first measurement of the temperature dependence of muon transfer rate from $mu$p atoms to oxygen between 100 and 300 K. Data were obtained from the X-ray spectra of delayed events in gaseous target H$_2$/O$_2$ exposed to a muon beam. Based on the data, we determined the muon transfer energy dependence up to 0.1 eV, showing an 8-fold increase in contrast with the predictions of constant rate in the low energy limit. This work set constraints on theoretical models of muon transfer, and is of fundamental importance for the measurement of the hyperfine splitting of $mu$p by the FAMU collaboration.
Muons are a fascinating probe to study nuclear properties. Muonic atoms can easily be formed by stopping negative muons inside a material. The muon is subsequently captured by the nucleus and, due to its much higher mass compared to the electron, orbits the nucleus at very small distances. During this atomic capture process the muon emits characteristic X-rays during its cascade down to the ground state. The energies of these X-rays reveal the muonic energy level scheme, from which properties like the nuclear charge radius or its quadrupole moment can be extracted. While almost all stable elements have been examined using muons, probing highly radioactive atoms has so far not been possible. The muX experiment has developed a technique based on transfer reaction inside a high pressure hydrogen/deuterium gas cell to examine targets available only in microgram quantities.
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