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Measurement of muonic hyperfine transition rates and muon capture yields in light nuclei

University of British Columbia

The muonic hyperfine transition rates were measured in LiF, (CF2)n , Na, NaH, Al, LiAlH4, and for the first time in K and P. These measurements were performed by detecting neutrons via liquid scintillators. No chemical effect was observed when comparing the transition rates in LiF and (CF2)n , Na and NaH, Al and LiAlFL4. In the case of P and K the newly measured hyperfine transition rates are 48 ±5 µs-1 and 25 ± 15 µs-1 respectively. Nitrogen should not have a hyperfine transition if the only hyperfine transition process is through Auger emission, because the hyperfine splitting energy is smaller than the energy needed for the Auger process. So confirmation of a previous nonzero measurement of a hyperfine effect in N was attempted. This search for a hyperfine effect in N was performed by detecting neutrons and γ-rays in two separate experiments. In the neutron experiment liquid scintillators were used to measure the time spectra of electrons and neutrons. It was found that the muon lifetime obtained from the neutron time spectrum was different than the lifetime measured in the electron time spectrum. This difference may indicate a hyperfine transition in nitrogen. In the case of the γ-ray experiment, which was performed by using two high purity germanium detectors, the results lacked sufficient statistics. During this nitrogen γ-ray experiment, much new information was obtained. The yields of γ-rays produced from muon capture in 14N were measured. Previously only the yield from one γ-ray had been measured. In this experiment yields for three γ-rays in 14C, three γ-rays in 13C, one γ-ray in 12C, and two γ-rays in 10B were measured. From these yields, the nuclear level yields were obtained. In addition, the energies of two γ-rays in 14C were measured more accurately than before; these γ-rays are at energies of 7016.8 ± 1.3 keV and 6730.6 ± 1.0 keV. [Scientific formulae used in this abstract could not be reproduced.]

Thesis/Dissertation

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2009-07-02

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/10015

Physics

University of British Columbia

UBCV

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