INVESTIGATION OF DEPOLARIZATION OF NEGATIVE $mu$-MESONS IN LIQUID HYDROGEN

Journal Article · Wed Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1958 · Zhur. Eksptl'. i Teoret. Fiz.

OSTI ID:4304405

Ignatenko, A E; Egorov, L B

The angular distribution of decay electrons from mu /sup -/ mesons was measured in liquid hydrogen with scintillation counters. Within the limits of the experimental errors the distribution was found to be isotropic. The degree of polarization of mu /sup -/ mesons in mesic hydrogen was determined from the electron angular distributlon data and found to be less 2.5%. The observed complete depolarization of mu /sup -/ mesons can evidently be explained in a sufficient degree by the mechanism suggested by Zeldovich and Gershtein according to which the mu /sup -/ meson jumps from one proton to another simultaneous with the transition to the hyperfine structure ground state. Due to this mechanism mutual transformation of orthohydrogen and parahydrogen is possible. It is impossible to determine the form of the interaction between mu /sup -/ mesons and nucleons by measuring the angular distribution of neutrons from the mu /sup - / + p -- n + nu reaction in liquid hydrogen because of total depolarization of the mu /sup -/ mesons. (tr-auth)

• Research Organization: Joint Inst. of Nuclear Research
• NSA Number: NSA-13-004106
• OSTI ID: 4304405
• Journal Information: Zhur. Eksptl'. i Teoret. Fiz., Journal Name: Zhur. Eksptl'. i Teoret. Fiz. Vol. Vol: 35
• Country of Publication: Country unknown/Code not available
• Language: Russian

Related Subjects

ANGULAR DISTRIBUTION
DECAY
ELECTRONS
ENERGY LEVELS
ERRORS
HYDROGEN
HYPERFINE STRUCTURE
INTERACTIONS
LIQUIDS
MUONS
NEUTRINOS
NEUTRONS
NUCLEONS
PHYSICS AND MATHEMATICS
POLARIZATION
PROTONS
SCINTILLATION COUNTERS