Energy spectra of neutrons emitted following muon capture in O and C

The energy spectra of neutrons emitted following muon capture in ¹⁶O and ¹²C are investigated using the continuum shell model. Nuclear wave functions, which have been shown by Ohtsubo and the author to describe the radiative pion capture reaction in the above nuclei well, are adopted. The calculated neutron energy spectra explain well the observed main peaks, at 5 MeV for ¹⁶O and 4 MeV for ¹²C, which are considered to be the giant resonances excited in the muon capture reaction. These peaks are interpreted as the 2^? state at 20.3 MeV for ¹⁶O and the 1^? state at 22.5 MeV for ¹²C. Comparisons with photon spectra in radiative pion capture reactions are also made. The calculated total capture rates exceed the experimental values by a factor of 2.5 for ¹⁶O and by 30–40% for ¹²C.