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RANGE-ENERGY RELATION FOR LIQUID HYDROGEN BUBBLE CHAMBERS (thesis)

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:4338334

In studying the kinematics of the formation, reactions, and decay of unstable strange particles such as K/sup plus or minus /, A/sup o/, theta /sup o/, and SIGMA /sup plus or minus / with a liquid hydrogen bubble chamber a range-energy relation is essential. To obtain such a relation, one must know the density of superheated liquid parahydrogen. Heretofore, this density has not been determined. Direct measurement by conventional means of the density of the liquid hydrogen in the bubble chamber is difficult because the liquid is superheated for only 20 to 30 milliseconds. To deternndne the density, the mean range of mu /sup +/ mesons produced by pi /sup +/ mesons decaying at rest in the 10-inch UCRL liquid hydrogen bubble chamber was measured amd found to be 1.103 plus or minus 0.003 cm (standard deviation 5.0%; 444 pi yields mu yields e events). From the Bethe-Bloch theory and a mu /sup +/ kinetic energy of 4.12 plus or minus 0.03 Mev, this value of range gave a density of (5.83 plus or minus 0.06) x 10/sup -2/ g/cm/sup 3/ for superheated liquid parahydrogen. The temperature and pressure of the hydrogen during the sensitive time were 27.6 plus or minus 0.1 deg K amd 48 plus or minus 5 psia. A plot of the range- energy relation for protons, pi , mu , K, SIGMA , and XI particles based on BetheBloch theory, and the above value of density is given for kinetic energy values ranging from 1 to 1000 Mev. (auth)

Research Organization:
California. Univ., Berkeley. Radiation Lab.
DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-ENG-48
NSA Number:
NSA-12-011597
OSTI ID:
4338334
Report Number(s):
UCRL-3789
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English