Experimental setup for X-ray spectroscopy of muonic atoms formed from implanted ions in solid hydrogen

Abstract

An experimental setup comprising of a cryogenic target and an ion implantation system has been constructed to perform muonic X-ray spectroscopy with muonic atoms formed from implanted ions in solid hydrogen films. Gaseous mixtures of hydrogen (H 2) and deuterium (D 2) have been frozen onto a thin 60-mm diameter silver foil, and then irradiated with charged particles of energies up to 33 keV/q . Already, solid films of H 2 and D 2 mixtures with implanted helium ions have been successfully used in muon catalyzed fusion related experiments at RIKEN-RAL Muon Facility. This new method allows studies of the nuclear charge distribution of unstable atoms by means of the muonic X-ray method at facilities where both negative muon and radioactive nuclear beams would be available.