Search for spontaneous conversion of muonium to antimuonium

Journal Article · Wed Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1993 · Physical Review, D (Particles Fields); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.48.1976· OSTI ID:6023455

Ni, B; Arnold, K; Chmely, F; Cooper, M D; Eckhause, M; Guss, P P; Hoffman, C M; Hogan, G E; Hughes, V W; Kane, J R; Kettell, S H; Kuang, Y; Markey, J; Matthias, B E; Mischke, R E; Orth, H; Piilonen, L E; zu Putlitz, G; Reidy, J; Schaefer, H R ; Williams, R A; Woodle, K A ^[1]

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1. Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511 (United States) Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545 (United States) College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia 23185 (United States) Universitaet Heidelberg, D-6900 Heidelberg (Germany) University of Mississippi, University, Mississippi 38677 (United States)

An experimental search for the spontaneous conversion of muonium to antimuonium is described. A 10 MeV/[ital c] [mu][sup +] beam of average intensity 3[times]10[sup 5] s[sup [minus]1] was used to produce muonium atoms in vacuum by charge capture in a thin foil. The novel method applied here for detection of an antimuonium atom was a triple coincidence of two muonic x-ray photons from the atomic capture of its [mu][sup [minus]] by a high-[ital Z] target and a secondary electron ejected from the target upon the impact of the antimuonium atom. No antimuonium events were observed and the resulting 90% confidence level upper limit on the coupling constant leading to the conversion, [ital G][sub [ital M][ital [bar M]]], is 6.9[ital G][sub [ital F]], where [ital G][sub [ital F]] is the Fermi coupling constant.

• OSTI ID: 6023455
• Journal Information: Physical Review, D (Particles Fields); (United States), Journal Name: Physical Review, D (Particles Fields); (United States) Vol. 48:5; ISSN PRVDAQ; ISSN 0556-2821
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS
ANTILEPTONS
ANTIMATTER
ANTIPARTICLES
CAPTURE
COINCIDENCE METHODS
CONVERSION
COUNTING TECHNIQUES
COUPLING CONSTANTS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ENERGY RANGE
FERMIONS
LEPTONS
MATTER
MEV RANGE
MEV RANGE 01-10
MUONIUM
MUONS
MUONS PLUS