Authors

V. A. Andreev, Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute, Russia
T. I. Banks, University of California - Berkeley
R. M. Carey, Boston University
T. A. Case, University of California - Berkeley
S. M. Clayton, University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
K. M. Crowe, University of California - Berkeley
J. Deutsch, Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium
J. Egger, Paul Scherrer Institute, Switzerland
S. J. Freedman, University of California - Berkeley
V. A. Ganzha, Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute, Russia
Tim Gorringe, University of KentuckyFollow
F. E. Gray, University of California - Berkeley
D. W. Hertzog, University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
M. Hildebrandt, Paul Scherrer Institute, Switzerland
P. Kammel, University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
B. Kiburg, University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
S. Knaack, University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
P. A. Kravtsov, Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute, Russia
A. G. Krivshich, Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute, Russia
B. Lauss, Paul Scherrer Institute, Switzerland
K. R. Lynch, York College
E. M. Maev, Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute, Russia
O. E. Maev, Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute, Russia
F. Mulhauser, University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
C. Petitjean, Paul Scherrer Institute, Switzerland
G. E. Petrov, Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute, Russia
R. Prieels, Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium
G. N. Schapkin, Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute, Russia
G. G. Semenchuk, Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute, Russia
M. A. Soroka, Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute, Russia
Vladimir Tishchenko, University of KentuckyFollow
A. A. Vasilyev, Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute, Russia
A. A. Vorobyov, Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute, Russia
M. E. Vznuzdaev, Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute, Russia
P. Winter, University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign

Abstract

Background: The rate λppμ characterizes the formation of ppμ molecules in collisions of muonic atoms with hydrogen. In measurements of the basic weak muon capture reaction on the proton to determine the pseudoscalar coupling gP, capture occurs from both atomic and molecular states. Thus knowledge of λppμ is required for a correct interpretation of these experiments.

Purpose: Recently the MuCap experiment has measured the capture rate ΛS from the singlet atom, employing a low-density active target to suppress ppμ formation [V. Andreev et al. (MuCap Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 012504 (2013)]. Nevertheless, given the unprecedented precision of this experiment, the existing experimental knowledge in λppμ had to be improved.

Method: The MuCap experiment derived the weak capture rate from the muon disappearance rate in ultrapure hydrogen. By doping the hydrogen with 20 ppm of argon, a competing process to ppμ formation was introduced, which allowed the extraction of λppμ from the observed time distribution of decay electrons.

Results: The ppμ formation rate was measured as λppμ=(2.01±0.06stat±0.03sys)×106s−1. This result updates the λppμ value used in the abovementioned MuCap publication.

Conclusions: The 2.5× higher precision compared to earlier experiments, and the fact that the measurement was performed under nearly identical conditions as the main data taking, reduces the uncertainty induced by λppμ to a minor contribution to the overall uncertainty of ΛS and gP, as determined in the MuCap experiment. Our final value for λppμ shifts ΛS and gP by less than one-tenth of their respective uncertainties compared to our results published earlier.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

5-2015

Notes/Citation Information

Published in Physical Review C: Nuclear Physics, v. 91, no. 5, article 055502, p. 1-11.

©2015 American Physical Society

The copyright holder has granted permission for posting the article here.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.91.055502

Funding Information

This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation; the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, Office of Nuclear Physics, under Awards No. DE-FG02-97ER41020 and No. DE-FG02-00ER41129; the CRDF; the Paul Scherrer Institute; the Russian Academy of Sciences; and the Grant of the President of the Russian Federation (Grant No. NSH-3057.2006.2). This work used the Extreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment (XSEDE), which is supported by National Science Foundation Grant No. ACI-1053575.

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