The radiative decay of the muon, positive-muon to position + neutrino + e-neutrino + mu'-antineutrino was measured using muons from the Columbia University Nevis Synchrocyclotron. The positron and gamma-ray decay products were observed at relative angles near 180 degrees, using scintillation counters and two 9 in. x 10 in. NaI crystals, which enabled simultaneous measurement of the positron and gamma energies. The pulses from the crystals were displayed on oscilloscopes and photographed, and the measured amplitudes of these pulses were calibrated using the positron spectrum of the nonradiative decay. The two-dimensional energy spectrum for positrons and gammas was obtained for about 900 events, after subtraction of background. This spectrum and the measured rate, obtained by normalizing to the nonradiative decay, were compared with theoretical predictions for the radiative decay. The results were in good agreement with the theory, within statistics, for the case of pure V-A coupling. (Author).
In 1912 Victor Franz Hess made the revolutionary discovery that ionizing radiation is incident upon the Earth from outer space. He showed with ground-based and balloon-borne detectors that the intensity of the radiation did not change significantly between day and night. Consequently, the sun could not be regarded as the sources of this radiation and the question of its origin remained unanswered. Today, almost one hundred years later the question of the origin of the cosmic radiation still remains a mystery.Hess' discovery has given an enormous impetus to large areas of science, in particular to physics, and has played a major role in the formation of our current understanding of universal evolution. For example, the development of new fields of research such as elementary particle physics, modern astrophysics and cosmology are direct consequences of this discovery. Over the years the field of cosmic ray research has evolved in various directions: Firstly, the field of particle physics that was initiated by the discovery of many so-called elementary particles in the cosmic radiation. There is a strong trend from the accelerator physics community to reenter the field of cosmic ray physics, now under the name of astroparticle physics. Secondly, an important branch of cosmic ray physics that has rapidly evolved in conjunction with space exploration concerns the low energy portion of the cosmic ray spectrum. Thirdly, the branch of research that is concerned with the origin, acceleration and propagation of the cosmic radiation represents a great challenge for astrophysics, astronomy and cosmology. Presently very popular fields of research have rapidly evolved, such as high-energy gamma ray and neutrino astronomy. In addition, high-energy neutrino astronomy may soon initiate as a likely spin-off neutrino tomography of the Earth and thus open a unique new branch of geophysical research of the interior of the Earth. Finally, of considerable interest are the biological and medical aspects of the cosmic radiation because of it ionizing character and the inevitable irradiation to which we are exposed. This book is a reference manual for researchers and students of cosmic ray physics and associated fields and phenomena. It is not intended to be a tutorial. However, the book contains an adequate amount of background materials that its content should be useful to a broad community of scientists and professionals. The present book contains chiefly a data collection in compact form that covers the cosmic radiation in the vicinity of the Earth, in the Earth's atmosphere, at sea level and underground. Included are predominantly experimental but also theoretical data. In addition the book contains related data, definitions and important relations. The aim of this book is to offer the reader in a single volume a readily available comprehensive set of data that will save him the need of frequent time consuming literature searches.
Muon Physics, Volume I: Electromagnetic Interactions deals with the electromagnetic interaction of muon as well as its static properties. The validity tests of quantum electrodynamics (QED) in the simple muonic system such as muonium, muonic hydrogen, and heavier muonic atoms are discussed. Possible tests of QED at much higher energy and large momentum transfers are also considered. An explanation of the unified gauge theories of electromagnetic and weak interactions in very simple and easily understandable terms is included as well. This volume is comprised of four chapters and begins with a historical overview of the muon, from its discovery and that of p and μ mesons to advances in understanding the vital roles played by the muon in almost every field of physics. The next chapter explores the electromagnetic properties of the muon and looks at experimental and theoretical developments concerning its static properties and electromagnetic interactions. The third chapter is concerned with the physics of the muonic atom and describes experimental methods for investigating the production of muonic atoms; charge distribution in spherical nuclei; the density of electrons in the atom; electric quadrupole and magnetic dipole interactions between the muon and the nucleus; and intensities of muonic transitions. The final chapter is devoted to cosmic-ray muons and emphasizes the character of very high-energy nucleon-nucleon interactions, together with the properties of the electromagnetic and weak interactions at very high energies. This book is written primarily for physicists as well as students and researchers in physics.
University Physics is a three-volume collection that meets the scope and sequence requirements for two- and three-semester calculus-based physics courses. Volume 1 covers mechanics, sound, oscillations, and waves. Volume 2 covers thermodynamics, electricity and magnetism, and Volume 3 covers optics and modern physics. This textbook emphasizes connections between between theory and application, making physics concepts interesting and accessible to students while maintaining the mathematical rigor inherent in the subject. Frequent, strong examples focus on how to approach a problem, how to work with the equations, and how to check and generalize the result. The text and images in this textbook are grayscale.
This book presents more than 300 exercises, with guided solutions, on topics that span both the experimental and the theoretical aspects of particle physics. The exercises are organized by subject, covering kinematics, interactions of particles with matter, particle detectors, hadrons and resonances, electroweak interactions and flavor physics, statistics and data analysis, and accelerators and beam dynamics. Some 200 of the exercises, including 50 in multiple-choice format, derive from exams set by the Italian National Institute for Nuclear Research (INFN) over the past decade to select its scientific staff of experimental researchers. The remainder comprise problems taken from the undergraduate classes at ETH Zurich or inspired by classic textbooks. Whenever appropriate, in-depth information is provided on the source of the problem, and readers will also benefit from the inclusion of bibliographic details and short dissertations on particular topics. This book is an ideal complement to textbooks on experimental and theoretical particle physics and will enable students to evaluate their knowledge and preparedness for exams.
