Upgrading the RIKEN-RAL Muon Facility

We report a major upgrading work currently underway at the RIKEN-RAL Muon Facility. A slow muon beam line has been constructed at Port 3 experimental area in order to generate a low-energy, low-emittance positive muon beam, which will open many new possibilities for use of the muon beam. Meanwhile, a new experimental port is under construction to accommodate new experimental programs such as measurement of muonic X-rays from ions implanted to deuterium layer. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Muon Physics Possibilities at a Muon-Neutrino Factory

New intense proton accelerators with above GeV energies and MW beam power, such as they are discussed in connection with neutrino factories, appear to be excellently suited for feeding bright muon sources for low-energy muon science. Muon rates with several orders of magnitude increased flux compared to present facilities will become available. This will allow higher precision in experiments which were statistics limited so far such as searches for rare decays, muonium spectroscopy, muon capture, muon catalyzed fusion, muon decay studies and measurements muon moments and parameters. Novel and most important experiments will become possible. For example a permanent electric dipole moment (edm_μ) of a muon could be searched with by far unprecedented accuracy and with a physics potential well beyond the possibilities of present electron, neutron and nuclear edm searches. Investigations of short lived radioactive nuclei using muonic atom spectroscopy would become feasible. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A New High-intensity, Low-momentum Muon Beam for the Generation of Low-energy Muons at PSI

At the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI, Villigen, Switzerland) a new high-intensity muon beam line with momentum p < 40 MeV/c is currently being commissioned. The beam line is especially designed to serve the needs of the low-energy, polarized positive muon source (LE-μ⁺) and LE-μ SR spectrometer at PSI. The beam line replaces the existing μ E4 muon decay channel. A large acceptance is accomplished by installing two solenoidal magnetic lenses close to the muon production target E that is hit by the 590-MeV PSI proton beam. The muons are then transported by standard large aperture quadrupoles and bending magnets to the experiment. Several slit systems and an electrostatic separator allow the control of beam shape, momentum spread, and to reduce the background due to beam positrons or electrons. Particle intensities of up to 3.5 × 10⁸ μ⁺/s and 10⁷ μ⁻/s are expected at 28 MeV/c beam momentum and 1.8 mA proton beam current. This will translate into a LE-μ⁺ rate of 7,000/s being available at the LE-μ SR spectrometer, thus achieving μ⁺ fluxes, that are comparable to standard μ SR facilities.     

Proposal for muon and white neutron sources at CSNS

The China Spallation Neutron Source （CSNS） is a large scientific facility with the main purpose of serving multidisciplinary research on material characterization using neutron scattering techniques. The accelerator system is to provide a proton beam of 120 kW with a repetition rate of 25 Hz initially （CSNSⅠ）, progressively upgradeable to 240 kW （CSNS-Ⅱ） and 500 kW （CSNS-Ⅱ＇）. In addition to serving as a driving source for the spallation target, the proton beam can be exploited for serving additional functions both in fundamental and applied research. The expanded scientific application based on pulsed muons and fast neutrons is especially attractive in the overall consideration of CSNS upgrade options. A second target station that houses a muon-generating target and a fast-neutron-generating target in tandem, intercepting and removing a small part of the proton beam for the spallation target, is proposed. The muon and white neutron sources are operated principally in parasitic mode, leaving the main part of the beam directed to the spallation target. However, it is also possible to deliver the proton beam to the second target station in a dedicated mode for some special applications. Within the dual target configuration, the thin muon target placed upstream of the fast-neutron target will consume only about 5% of the beam traversed; the majority of the beam is used for fast-neutron production. A proton beam with a beam power of about 60 kW, an energy of 1.6 GeV and a repetition rate of 12.5 Hz will make the muon source and the white neutron source very attractive to multidisciplinary researchers.     

Experiment to measure the Lamb shift in muonic hydrogen

The contribution of the root mean square (RMS) proton charge radius to the Lamb shift (2S–2P energy difference) in muonic hydrogen (μp) amounts to 2%. Apart from the uncertainty on this charge radius, theory predicts the Lamb shift with a precision on the ppm level. We are going to measure ΔE (2 S_1/2(F=1)–2 P_3/2(F=2)) in a laser resonance experiment to a precision of 30 ppm (i.e., 10% of the natural linewidth) and to deduce the RMS proton charge radius with 10⁻³ relative accuracy, 20 times more precise than presently known. The most important requirement for the feasibility of such an experiment, namely the availability of a sufficient amount of long lived metastable μp atoms in the 2S state, has been investigated in a recent experiment at PSI. Our analysis shows that in the order of one percent of all muons stopped in low pressure hydrogen gas form a long lived μp(2S) with a lifetime of the order of 1 μs. The technical realization of our experiment involves a new high intensity low energy muon beam, an efficient low energy muon entrance detector, a randomly triggered 3 stage laser system providing the 0.5 mJ, 7 ns laser pulses at 6.02 μm wavelength, and a combination of a xenon gas proportional scintillation chamber (GPSC) and a microstrip gas chamber (MSGC) with a CsI coated surface to detect the 2 keV X rays from theμp(2P → 1S) transition. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The Precise Measurement of the μ+ Lifetime

The lifetime of the positive muon (τ_μ ⁺) can be directly associated with the Fermi Coupling Constant (G _F ), which is one of the most basic parameters of the Standard Model. However, the current experimental accuracy of the τ_μ ⁺ is ∼30 ppm and it has not been improved for more than 15 years. We propose a new experiment for a pulsed muon facility such as RIKEN-RAL to measure the muon lifetime with multi-decay per one time window method. The advantage of our setup, no time window limitation, enables us to test the exponential decay law (EDL) in the long decay time region at the same time. The preliminary analysis set a new upperlimit for the EDL deviation in the muon decay. We accumulated ∼10¹⁰ muon decays and analysis is in progress. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

全尺寸CMS RE1/2阻抗板探测器样器束流测试结果

介绍了CMS RE1/2 全尺寸阻抗板探测器的束流测试结果.探测器气体室的阻抗板表面采用不需要淋油的特殊光洁处理,外支撑框架采用铝质蜂窝板,以保证足够的强度以及整个RPC所占空间尽量小.在GIF的束流测试结果表明该样品在高辐射本底下能够达到满探测效率.时间分辨率以及噪声水平都符合CMS实验的要求.     

Proposal for muon and white neutron sources at CSNS

The China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS) is a large scientific facility with the main purpose of serving multidisciplinary research on material characterization using neutron scattering techniques. The accelerator system is to provide a proton beam of 120 kW with a repetition rate of 25 Hz initially (CSNSⅠ), progressively upgradeable to 240 kW (CSNS-Ⅱ) and 500 kW (CSNS-Ⅱ'). In addition to serving as a driving source for the spallation target, the proton beam can be exploited for serving additional functions both in fundamental and applied research. The expanded scientific application based on pulsed muons and fast neutrons is especially attractive in the overall consideration of CSNS upgrade options. A second target station that houses a muon-generating target and a fast-neutron-generating target in tandem, intercepting and removing a small part of the proton beam for the spallation target, is proposed. The muon and white neutron sources are operated principally in parasitic mode, leaving the main part of the beam directed to the spallation target. However, it is also possible to deliver the proton beam to the second target station in a dedicated mode for some special applications. Within the dual target configuration, the thin muon target placed upstream of the fast-neutron target will consume only about 5% of the beam traversed; the majority of the beam is used for fast-neutron production. A proton beam with a beam power of about 60 kW, an energy of 1.6 GeV and a repetition rate of 12.5 Hz will make the muon source and the white neutron source very attractive to multidisciplinary researchers.     

New g-2 experiment at J-PARC

A new measurement of the anomalous magnetic moment of the positive muon aμ is proposed with a novel technique utilizing an ultra-cold muon beam accelerated to 300 MeV/c and a 66 cm-diameter muon storage ring without focusing-electric field.This measurement will be complimentary to the previous measurement that achieved 0.54 ppm accuracy with the magic energy of 3.1 GeV in a 14 m diameter storage ring.The proposed experiment aims to achieve the sensitivity down to 0.1 ppm.     

Dai Omega, a Drastic Upgrading of the Surface Muon Channel Using a Large Solid Angle Axial Focusing Superconducting System

An axial focusing surface muon channel, Dai Omega, is under construction. This channel will be installed at KEK-MSL in the summer of 2001. It uses four large aperture superconducting coils for axial focusing to realize a high-intensity positive muon beam by improving the solid angle acceptance. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The Muon Science Facility at the JKJ Project

The muon science facility is one of the experimental arenas of the JKJ project, which was recently approved for construction in a period from 2001 to 2006, as well as neutron science, particle and nuclear physics, neutrino physics and nuclear transmutation science. The muon science experimental area is planned to be located in the integrated building of the facility for the materials and life science study. One muon target will be installed upstream of the neutron target in a period of phase 1. The beam line and facility are designed to allow the later installation of a 2nd muon target in a more upstream location. The detailed design for electricity, cooling water, primary proton beam line, one muon target and secondary beam lines (a superconducting solenoid decay muon channel, a dedicated surface muon channel, and an ultra slow muon channel) is underway. In the symposium, a latest status of the muon science facility at JKJ project will be reported. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Muon Motion Induced by a Superintense Laser in Muon‐Catalyzed Fusion

Considering the mixture after muon‐catalyzed fusion (μ CF) reaction as overdense plasma, we study muon motion in the plasma produced by a superintense linearly polarized femtosecond laser pulse. Muon drift along the propagation of laser radiation remains after the end of the laser pulse. At the peak laser intensity of 10²¹W/cm², muon goes from the skin layer into field‐free matter at short time which is much less than the pulse duration, before the laser pulse reaches its maximum. Besides, the influence of the laser on other particles in the plasma is less. Hence, this work can avoid muon sticking to alpha (α) effectively and reduce muon‐loss probability in μ CF. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Multiple scattering of muons in beryllium

The defocussing and the depolarization of a high energy muon beam in a beryllium filter, often used to eliminate accompanying pions, have been studied. The quantum mechanical transport equation of Waldmann, which can also be used to describe the multiple scattering of Dirac particles, is solved with a distorted wave Born approximation. Calculations are done for both the Thomas-Fermi and the Hartree-Fock potential of the beryllium atom. It is shown that the Hartree-Fock potential leads to a less divergent beam. The depolarization of a longitudinally polarized muon beam in passage through a thin beryllium foil is also studied.     

Muon Spin Dynamics and Sites in GdNi5

In GdNi₅, the muon localizes at the 3f interstitial site and below 80K a second muon site becomes populated, the so-called 6_ring site. This ring site is metastable and the muon hops to the 3f site. We determine the mean time of stay of the muon in the ring site and show that it is governed by a multi-phonon quantum diffusion process. The coincidence energy is measured to be E _a =272(10)K and the tunneling matrix element J=0.11(2)meV.     

Development of a New Experimental Method for Studies of Muon Capture in Hydrogen

A new experiment is under preparation with the aim to improve considerably the present knowledge of the rate Λ _s , which should be measured on a level of 1% or better, for the basic electroweak capture reaction of a negative muon on the free proton μp _1s → n + ν_μ. The capture rate will be determined by measuring the lifetime of μ⁻ stopped in ultra pure hydrogen at 10 bar pressure and comparing it with the lifetime of the unbound μ⁺. A new experimental method was developed for this project which should allow measuring the μ⁻ lifetime with at least 10 ppm precision. The basic element of the detector is operating in the hydrogen gas time projection chamber (TPC) surrounded by multi-wire proportional chambers (MWPCs) and scintillator counters. The arrival times and trajectories of the incoming muons and the outgoing decay electrons are measured with this device providing effective suppression of background. Using the TPC as an active target, we can monitor on-line the protium contamination by impurities with a sensitivity better than 10⁻⁸. This can be done by detecting the charged products of the muon capture reaction on these impurities. It was demonstrated that the TPC and MWPCs can operate in pure hydrogen under 10 bar pressure providing gas gain up to 10 000. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Intense thermal neutron source based on MCF

The conceptual scheme of an ecologically clean thermal neutron source (TNS) based on muon-catalyzed fusion (MCF) is proposed. The preliminary design shows that an MCF-based TNS can produce the maximum value of unperturbed thermal neutron flux 10¹⁵ n/cm² s using for muon production a beam power of about 14 MW supplied by an accelerator of the next generation.     

Muon science in J-PARC

The intensity of proton accelerator has attained to the order to mega-watt, and several MW-class proton accelerators start to operate in the world. J-PARC is a complex of three accelerators, and generates a variety of secondary beams, i.e. muon beam, neutron beam, meson beam and neutrino beam. The muon facility is established in order to provide a pulsed muon beam for various experimental programs. The first muon beam is transported to the experimental area in September 2008. Although the accelerator is still under commissioning, and the beam power doesn’t reach the design value of 1 MW yet, the world strongest pulsed muon beam will be provided shortly. In this paper, we review the muon beam line in J-PARC, and discuss evolved scientific programs.     

Estimation of Sea Level Muon Energy Spectrum at High Latitude from the Latest Primary Nucleon Spectra Near the Top of the Atmosphere

The vertical muon energy spectra at sea level have been estimated from directly measured primary cosmic-ray nucleon spectrum. The hadronic energy moments have been calculated from the CERN LEBC EHS data on the Lorentz invariant cross-section results on pp ^±X and pp K^±X inclusive reactions and are duly corrected for A–A collisions. Finally, the sea level muon energy spectra have been calculated from the decay of conventional mesons, using standard formulation. The estimated muon spectra are found to be in good agreement with the directly measured muon spectra obtained from the different experiments.     

Recent Result of Muon Catalyzed t–t Fusion at RIKEN-RAL

We have measured X-rays and neutrons associated with the muon catalyzed t–t fusion process at the RIKEN-RAL Muon facility. In the X-ray measurement, we observed K_α and K_β X-rays originating from the muon sticking process in muon catalyzed t–t fusion, and obtained the K_α X-ray yield and the K_β/K_α intensity ratio. An average recoil energy of the (μ⁻α) atoms in a solid T₂ medium was determined from the observed Doppler broadening width of the K_α X-ray line. The obtained t–t fusion neutron has shown an exponential time spectrum with a single component and a continuous energy spectrum with a maximum energy of 9 MeV. We have determined the t–t fusion neutron yield, the t–t fusion cycling rate and the muon sticking probability from the neutron data. The obtained maximum neutron energy is a very peculiar value from the view point of the reaction Q value (11.33 MeV) with the three-particle decay mode at the exit channel: t + t → α + n + n + Q. The obtained neutron energy distribution was analyzed by a simple model with two neutron energy components; reasonable agreement has been obtained, suggesting a strong (n–α) correlation in the exit channel of the t–t muon catalyzed fusion reaction. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Muons on request (MORE): combining advantages of continuous and pulsed muon beams

A technique has been tested for the first time which combines the advantages of continuous and pulsed muon beams, namely high time resolution and low background in time-differential μSR experiments. In addition, the method allows the muon beam to be split and two μSR experiments run simultaneously at full intensity without any interference between the instruments. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.