Inclusive muon capture in light nuclei

Abstract

We study total muon capture rates in light (A ∼ 6–18) nuclei, taking into account renormalizations of the nuclear vector and axial vector strengths. We estimate the influence in the results of uncertainties of the spin-isospin interaction parameter g′ and nuclear densities. A few of these reactions are theoretical benchmarks for physics involving searches for neutrino oscillations. New experiments in muon capture in several targets are suggested, in the light of some discrepancies with theory, crudeness of some experimental results and relevance to neutrino physics.