Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

INVESTIGATION OF THE EFFECT OF THE HYPERFINE STRUCTURE ON POLARIZATION OF $mu$$sup -$ MESONS IN MESIC ATOMS (in Russian)

Journal Article · · Zhur. Eksptl'. i Teoret. Fiz.
OSTI ID:4171681
The angular distributions of mu --meson decay electrons from aluminum, phosphi)rus. and carbon mestc atoms were studied with scintillation counters. It is shown that due to interaction of the hyperfine structure there is a decrease of the mu --meson polarization. The results of the measurements do not contradict the theoretical predictions if depolarization exclusively on the K orbit of the mesic atom is taken into account. Comparison of the results of measurement for phosphorus with the results previously obtained for liquid hydrogen shows that the complete depolarization of mu /sup -/ observed in hydrogen cannot be explained by the interaction between the fine and hyperfine structure alone. In order to do this an additional mechanism must be proton to another one with concurrent transition of the hyperfine structure to the ground state). All experimental data on depolarization of mu /sup -/ mesons in various substances can be explained theoretically if it is assumed that in mesic atoms of metals the electron shell does not affect the depolarization of mu /sup -/ mesons The presence of a fine and hyperfine structure in mesic atoms is confirmed and this again indicates that the electromagnetic properties of mesons and electrons are similar. The reduction of precession frequency of the mesic nucleus spin by a factor of with precession frequency of the free mu -meson spin indicates directly that the spin of a negative mu meson is equal to 1/2. (auth)
Research Organization:
Joint Inst. for Nuclear Research, Dubna, USSR
NSA Number:
NSA-14-012191
OSTI ID:
4171681
Journal Information:
Zhur. Eksptl'. i Teoret. Fiz., Journal Name: Zhur. Eksptl'. i Teoret. Fiz. Vol. Vol: 37
Country of Publication:
Country unknown/Code not available
Language:
Russian