τ− capture in nuclei

Abstract

We determine the capture rate of a τ − from inner atomic orbits in medium and heavy nuclei through the reaction τ − p→ nv τ , The capture rates are of the order of 2×10 9 s −1, a factor 150 larger than the muon capture rates in heavy nuclei, and three orders of magnitude smaller than the ordinary free τ − width. The investigatiion of this and related τ − capture channels would allow the exploration of the nuclear excitation mechanisms in an unsusual regime of momentum transfer and would provide valuable information on the axial form factor of the nucleon at large momentum transfer.