No pre-critical enhancement observed in 13C(π+, γ)13N(g.s.) at q ≅ 2mπ

The cross section and angular distribution for the reaction ¹³C(π⁺, γ)¹³N(g.s.) have been measured from 37 to 85° in the laboratory, at a pion energy of 115.5 MeV. The observed cross section ranges from 320 to 660 $\text{nb}\text{sr}$. These results do not show the large magnitude and wide-angle peaking expected if pre-critical effects due to nascent pion condensation were present. In addition, the observed cross section is less than one-half of the predictions of available theoretical calculations which do not include the pre-critical effect. Data on the reaction ¹H(π^?, γ)n at T_π = 116.6 MeV were also obtained for calibration purposes. These data agree with expectations based on knowledge of the inverse reaction and previous measurements.     

Time-of-flight studies of emission of μt from frozen hydrogen films

In recent TRIUMF experiments, a μ^- beam is stopped in a solid hydrogen film with a small fraction of T₂. The Ramsauer-Townsend (RT) mechanism allows μt to escape into vacuum with a few eV of energy. To study the emission process, an imaging system was used to determine the position of muon decays. Experimental histograms are in good agreement with a Monte Carlo simulation. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Muon-catalyzed fusion in deuterium at 3 K

Muon-catalyzed fusion in deuterium has traditionally been studied in gaseous and liquid targets. The TRIUMF solid hydrogen layer target system has been used to study the fusion reaction rates in the solid phase at a target temperature of 3 K. Both branches of the cycle were observed; neutrons by a liquid organic scintillator, and protons by a silicon detector located inside the target system. The effective molecular formation rate from the upper hyperfine state and the spin exchange rate have been measured, and information on the branching ratio parameters has been extracted.     

Emission of muonic tritium into vacuum: An atomic beam for muon experiments

The emission of muonic tritium atoms from a thin film of hydrogen isotopes into vacuum was observed. The time and position of the muon decays were measured by tracking the decay electron trajectory. The observations are useful both for testing the theoretical cross sections for muonic atomic interactions, and producing an atomic beam of slow μ^-t with a controllable energy. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Search for emission of nucleons and nucleon pairs following muon capture in selected light nuclei

Preliminary results of measurements of proton energy spectra and search for coincidentp, n pair emission following negative muon capture in¹²C,¹⁶O,²⁷Al are given. A very clear signal for proton emission is found, which can be exploited in future detailed studies.Presented at the symposium Mesons and Light Nuclei, Bechyn, Czechoslovakia, May 27–June 1, 1985.This work was supported in part by the U.S. National Science Foundation, grant 83-10044-A 2, the German Bundesministerium für Forschung und Technologie, the International Buero Julich, and the Swiss National Science Foundation.     

Measuring sticking and stripping in muon-catalyzed dt fusion with multilayer thin films

We propose a direct measurement of muon sticking to alpha particles in muon-catalyzed dt fusion at a high density. Exploiting the features of a multilayer thin-film target developed at TRIUMF, the sticking is determined directly by detection of charged fusion products. Experimental separation of initial sticking and stripping may become possible for the first time. Monte Carlo simulations, as well as preliminary results of test measurements are described.     

Experiments with energetic μd and μt emitted from solid hydrogen

A set of experiments is reviewed which makes use of the emission of muonic deuterium from the surface of a layer of solid hydrogen. The behaviour of muons in a solid target system has been studied via detection of muon decay electrons, muonic X-rays, and fusion products (neutrons and charged particles). The emission of muonic deuterium is understood to result from the Ramsauer-Townsend scattering minimum. The energy distribution of the emitted atoms ranges from tenths of eV to about 10 eV, and can be controlled to some extent. A proposal is described to use muonic tritium emission to measure the energy dependence of muonic molecular formation.