## Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

#### Title

Muon transfer from muonic deuterium to carbon

1994

Dissertation

#### Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Physics

Robert T Siegel

#### Abstract

Negative muons were brought to rest in a gas mixture of 30 torr CH$\sb4$ and 570 torr D$\sb2$, using the cyclotron trap at PSI. The muons formed muonic deuterium atoms which diffused through the mixture and transferred their muons to the carbon of the CH$\sb4$ molecules. A planar germanium detector and a silicon detector were used to observe x-rays from the initial muon cascade in the deuterium, and from subsequent cascade in the muonic carbon after transfer. A transfer rate of (4.5 $\pm$ 1.8) $\times$ 10$\sp{10}$/sec was found which agrees well with a previous result measured at 50 bar of (5.1 $\pm$ 1.0) $\times$ 10$\sp{10}$/sec. Transfer was found to occur predominantly to the n = 4 state in $\mu$C. The initial angular momentum state distribution in the $\mu$C was constructed using the cascade program of V. Markushin, and found to be consistent with any combination of two possible initial distributions (I 0.252 (4s) + 0.409 (4f) + 0.339 (4p)) and (II 0.284 (4d)+ 0.377 (4f) + 0.339 (4p)). The transfer theories of Gershtein and that of Holtzwarth and Pfeifer both agree well with the measured transfer rate and initial energy state, but not with the initial angular momentum distributions. The 2S population in $\mu$C was also determined to lie between 5% and 11%, which is higher than the 3% population in direct capture.

#### DOI

https://dx.doi.org/doi:10.21220/s2-380k-z223