Muonic molecule formation in muon-catalyzed fusion

Abstract

A negative muon induces nuclear-fusion reactions between hydrogen isotopes. In this reaction, a muon plays a role of a catalyst, i.e. muon injection causes a chain reaction of nuclear fusions in hydrogen system. This phenomenon is called muon catalyzed fusion or μCF for short. A fusion reaction itself is dominated by nuclear force in the energy range of mega-electron-volt, however μCF reaction is affected by much-low-energy phenomena like temperature and density in the range of milli-electron-volt. This is due to the muonic molecule formation through which a fusion reaction occurs. Therefore, μCF has been an attractive subject for atomic physics as well as nuclear physics.