Muon Capture Research Articles

Muon-induced baryon number violation

The search for charged-lepton flavor violation in muon capture on nuclei is a powerful probe of heavy new physics. A smoking gun signal for μ→e conversion is a monochromatic electron with energy almost equal to the muon mass. We show that light new physics can mimic this signature and that it can also lead to electrons above the μ→e signal peak. A concrete example of such light new physics is μ−-nucleon annihilation into a light dark sector, which can produce an energetic e− as well as e+e− by-products. Due to the size of the muon mass, the exotic muon capture process can be kinematically allowed, while the otherwise stringent constraints, e.g., from proton decay, are kinematically forbidden. We also discuss other relevant constraints, including those from the stability of nuclei and muon capture in the interior of neutron stars. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Design and analysis of a HTS internally cooled cable for the Muon Collider target and capture solenoid magnets

The Muon Collider is one of the options considered as the next step in High Energy Physics. It bears many challenges, last not least in superconducting magnet technology. The target and capture solenoid is one of them, a channel of approximately 18 m length consisting of co-axial solenoid magnets with a 1.2 m free bore and peak field on axis of 20 T. One of the main concerns come from the nuclear radiation environment that may influence the stable operation of the coil, as well as its material integrity. Energetic photons cause large radiation heat load, of the order of several kW in the cold mass, and deposit a considerable dose, several tens of MGy. Neutrons cause material damage, at the level of 10-3 DPA. These values are at the present limit of superconducting coil technology. We describe here the conceptual design of the target and capture solenoid, focusing on the HTS cable design, which is largely inspired by the VIPER concept developed at MIT. We show how to address margin and protection, cooling and mechanics specific to the HTS cable selected.

Recent Progress in the Electroweak Structure of Light Nuclei Using Quantum Monte Carlo Methods

Nuclei will play a prominent role in searches for physics beyond the Standard Model as the active material in experiments. In order to reliably interpret new physics signals, one needs an accurate model of the underlying nuclear dynamics. In this review, we discuss recent progress made with quantum Monte Carlo approaches for calculating the electroweak structure of light nuclei. We place particular emphasis on recent β decay, muon capture, neutrinoless double β decay, and electron scattering results.

Comment on "Nuclear Excitation by Free Muon Capture".

Comment on "Nuclear Excitation by Free Muon Capture".

Bayesian analysis of muon capture on the deuteron in chiral effective field theory

Bayesian analysis of muon capture on the deuteron in chiral effective field theory

Interactions of Low-Energy Muons with Silicon: Numerical Simulation of Negative Muon Capture and Prospects for Soft Errors

In this paper, the interactions of low-energy muons (E < 10 MeV) with natural silicon, the basic material of microelectronics, are studied by Geant4 and SRIM simulation. The study is circumscribed to muons susceptible to slowdown/stop in the target and able to transfer sufficient energy to the semiconductor to create single events in silicon devices or related circuits. The capture of negative muons by silicon atoms is of particular interest, as the resulting nucleus evaporation and its effects can be catastrophic in terms of the emission of secondary ionizing particles ranging from protons to aluminum ions. We investigate in detail these different nuclear capture reactions in silicon and quantitatively evaluate their relative importance in terms of number of products, energy, linear energy transfer, and range distributions, as well as in terms of charge creation in silicon. Finally, consequences in the domain of soft errors in microelectronics are discussed.

Nucleon axial and pseudoscalar form factors using twisted-mass fermion ensembles at the physical point

We compute the nucleon axial and pseudoscalar form factors using three Nf=2+1+1 twisted-mass fermion ensembles with all quark masses tuned to approximately their physical values. The values of the lattice spacings of these three physical point ensembles are 0.080, 0.068, and 0.057 fm and spatial sizes 5.1, 5.44, and 5.47 fm, respectively, yielding mπL>3.6. Convergence to the ground-state matrix elements is assessed using multistate fits. We study the momentum dependence of the three form factors and check the partially conserved axial-vector current (PCAC) hypothesis and the pion pole dominance (PPD). We show that in the continuum limit, the PCAC and PPD relations are satisfied. We also show that the Goldberger-Treimann relation is approximately fulfilled and determine the Goldberger-Treiman discrepancy. Our final results are gA=1.245(28)(14) for the nucleon axial charge, ⟨rA2⟩=0.339(48)(06)fm2 for the axial radius, gπNN≡limQ2→−mπ2GπNN(Q2)=13.25(67)(69) for the pion-nucleon coupling constant, and GP(0.88mμ2)≡gP*=8.99(39)(49) for the induced pseudoscalar form factor at the muon capture point. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Measurement of the production branching ratios following nuclear muon capture for palladium isotopes using the in-beam activation method

Measurement of the production branching ratios following nuclear muon capture for palladium isotopes using the in-beam activation method

Development of a non-destructive depth-selective quantification method for sub-percent carbon contents in steel using negative muon lifetime analysis

The amount of C in steel, which is critical in determining its properties, is strongly influenced by steel production technology. We propose a novel method of quantifying the bulk C content in steel non-destructively using muons. This revolutionary method may be used not only in the quality control of steel in production, but also in analyzing precious steel archaeological artifacts. A negatively charged muon forms an atomic system owing to its negative charge, and is finally absorbed into the nucleus or decays to an electron. The lifetimes of muons differ significantly, depending on whether they are trapped by Fe or C atoms, and identifying the elemental content at the muon stoppage position is possible via muon lifetime measurements. The relationship between the muon capture probabilities of C/Fe and the elemental content of C exhibits a good linearity, and the C content in the steel may be quantitatively determined via muon lifetime measurements. Furthermore, by controlling the incident energies of the muons, they may be stopped in each layer of a stacked sample consisting of three types of steel plates with thicknesses of 0.5 mm, and we successfully determined the C contents in the range 0.20–1.03 wt% depth-selectively, without sample destruction.

A simulation study of detection technique of HEU based on muon capture with neutron production

The detection technique of high enriched uranium (HEU) based on the muon capture with neutron production is a novel detection technique of nuclear material, and is expected to be used in the detection of HEU in concealed containers, the monitoring of the reactors in nuclear submarines and the warhead verification in nuclear disarmament. Nowadays, this technique is still under primary theoretical and experimental research. In this paper, this technique is studied by means of numerical simulation, aiming at evaluating the detection results of this technique to HEU. First, the muon capture and detection simulation program was developed, and the physical models of this technique were established. The rate of the events of the muon capture of HEU with neutron production was analyzed, and the calculation result agrees well with the literature. Second, the backgrounds of this technique were analyzed, and the intensities and influence of all kinds of backgrounds were quantized. The research results show that, the backgrounds of this technique can be depressed well, and would not inhibit the detection of the events of the muon capture with neutron production. Third, the detection limits of this technique were evaluated. When the measurement time is 103s, for the scintillation detector with a size of 100cm × 100cm × 10 cm, the detection limit of the mass of HEU 50 cm away from the detector is about 1 kg under a confidence level of 95%. Finally, the physical models containing multiple uranium cubes were established, and the muon trace driving imaging algorithm with good anti-noise ability was proposed and verified by means of numerical simulation.

Cosmogenic 10Be in pyroxene: laboratory progress, production rate systematics, and application of the 10Be–3He nuclide pair in the Antarctic Dry Valleys

Abstract. Here, we present cosmogenic-10Be and cosmogenic-3He data from Ferrar dolerite pyroxenes in surficial rock samples and a bedrock core from the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, with the goal of refining the laboratory methods for extracting beryllium from pyroxene, further estimating the 10Be production rate in pyroxene and demonstrating the applicability of 10Be–3He in mafic rock. The ability to routinely measure cosmogenic 10Be in pyroxene will open new opportunities for quantifying exposure durations and Earth surface processes in mafic rocks. We describe scalable laboratory methods for isolating beryllium from pyroxene, which include a simple hydrofluoric acid leaching procedure for removing meteoric 10Be and the addition of a pH 8 precipitation step to reduce the cation load prior to ion exchange chromatography. 10Be measurements in pyroxene from the surface samples have apparent 3He exposure ages of 1–6 Myr. We estimate a spallation production rate for 10Be in pyroxene, referenced to 3He, of 3.6 ± 0.2 atoms g−1 yr−1. 10Be and 3He measurements in the bedrock core yield initial estimates for parameters associated with 10Be and 3He production by negative-muon capture (f10∗=0.00183 and f3∗fCfD=0.00337). Next, we demonstrate that the 10Be–3He pair in pyroxene can be used to simultaneously resolve erosion rates and exposure ages, finding that the measured cosmogenic-nuclide concentrations in our surface samples are best explained by 2–8 Myr of exposure at erosion rates of 0–35 cm Myr−1. Finally, given the low 10Be in our laboratory blanks (average of 5.7 × 103 atoms), the reported measurement precision, and our estimated production rate, it should be possible to measure 2 g samples with 10Be concentrations of 6 × 104 and 1.5 × 104 atoms g−1 with 5 % and 15 % uncertainty, respectively. With this level of precision, Last Glacial Maximum to Late Holocene surfaces can now be dated with 10Be in pyroxene. Application of 10Be in pyroxene, alone or in combination with 3He, will expand possibilities for investigating glacial histories and landscape change in mafic rock.

Ordinary Muon Capture on 136Ba: Comparative Study Using the Shell Model and pnQRPA

In this work, we present a study of ordinary muon capture (OMC) on 136Ba, the daughter nucleus of 136Xe double beta decay (DBD). The OMC rates at low-lying nuclear states (below 1 MeV of excitation energy) in 136Cs are assessed by using both the interacting shell model (ISM) and proton–neutron quasiparticle random-phase approximation (pnQRPA). We also add chiral two-body (2BC) meson-exchange currents and use an exact Dirac wave function for the captured s-orbital muon. OMC can be viewed as a complementary probe of the wave functions in 136Cs, the intermediate nucleus of the 136Xe DBD. At the same time, OMC can be considered a powerful probe of the effective values of weak axial-type couplings in a 100 MeV momentum exchange region, which is relevant for neutrinoless DBD. The present work represents the first attempt to compare the ISM and pnQRPA results for OMC on a heavy nucleus while also including the exact muon wave function and the 2BC. The sensitivity estimates of the current and future neutrinoless DBD experiments will clearly benefit from future OMC measurements taken using OMC calculations similar to the one presented here.

Muon capture on the deuteron in chiral effective field theory

We consider the capture of a muon on a deuteron. An uncertainty analysis of the dominant channels is important for a careful analysis of forthcoming experimental data. We quantify the theoretical uncertainties of chiral effective-field-theory predictions of the muon-deuteron capture rate from the relevant neutron-neutron partial wave channels in the final state. We study the dependence on the cutoff used to regularize the interactions, low-energy constants calibrated using different fitting data and strategies, and truncation of the effective-field-theory expansion of the currents. Combining these approaches gives as an estimate of ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}}_{\ensuremath{\mu}d}^{1/2}=399.1\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}7.6\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}4.4\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}{\mathrm{s}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ for capture from the atomic doublet state, and ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}}_{\ensuremath{\mu}d}^{3/2}=12.31\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.47\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.04\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}{\mathrm{s}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ for capture from the quartet state and the first and second uncertainties given here are due to the effective field theory truncation error and the uncertainty in the axial radius, respectively.

Nuclear many-body effects on particle emission following muon capture on Si28 and Ca40

Background: Muon captures on nuclei have provided us with plenty of knowledge of nuclear properties. Recently, this reaction attracts attention in electronics, because charged particle emissions following muon capture on silicon become to trigger non-negligible soft errors in memory devices.Purpose: To date, there is no theoretical framework based on the nuclear structure that describes a muon capture reaction followed by particle emissions comprehensively. The purpose of this work is to develop a new method that considers the nuclear many-body correlation for the accurate understanding of the soft errors in memory devices.Method: We combined the second Tamm-Dancoff approximation that is used to estimate muon capture rates with the two-component exciton model, the model describing particle emission from the pre-equilibrium state. For particle evaporation from the compound state, the Hauser-Feshbach statistical models were applied. We chose $^{28}\mathrm{Si}$ and $^{40}\mathrm{Ca}$ to check the performance of the framework.Result: We paid attention to the muon capture rates, the particle emission spectra, and the multiplicities that have a close interrelation with each other. We found that the nuclear many-body correlations including two-particle two-hole excitations is a key to explaining them simultaneously.Conclusion: The present study showed that the combination of the microscopic approach of muon capture and the two-component exciton model of particle emission is an effective tool to describe particle emission following the muon captures, giving the nuclear structure information additionally. For a finer understanding of particle emission following muon capture and a validation of the present framework, further experimental studies on particle emission spectra are highly expected.

Reviewing 39Ar and 37Ar underground production in shallow depths with implications for groundwater dating

Argon-37 (37Ar) and Argon-39 (39Ar) are used for groundwater dating on timescales from weeks to centuries. For both isotopes, the quantification of underground sources is essential to accurately infer water residence times from sampled dissolved activities. Subsurface production resulting from interactions with neutrons from the natural radioactivity in rocks and with primary cosmogenic neutrons has been known for a long time. More recently, the capture of slow negative muons and reactions with muon-induced neutrons were documented for 39Ar subsurface production in the context of underground particle detectors (e.g. for Dark Matter research). However, the contribution from these particles was never considered for groundwater dating applications. Here, we reevaluate the importance of all potential depth-related production channels at depth ranges relevant for 39Ar groundwater dating [0 − 200 meters below the surface (m.b.s)]. The production of radioargon by muon-induced processes is considered in this depth range for the first time. The uncertainty on the total depth-dependent production rate is estimated with Monte Carlo simulations assuming a uniform distribution of the parameter uncertainties. This work aims to provide a comprehensive framework for interpreting 39Ar activities in terms of groundwater residence times and for exposure age dating of rocks. The production of 37Ar is also addressed since this isotope is relevant as a proxy for 39Ar production, for the timing of river-groundwater exchanges, and in the context of on-site inspections (OSI) within the verification framework of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). In this perspective, we provide an interactive web-based application for the calculation of 37Ar and 39Ar production rates in rocks.

GermanIum array for non-destructive testing (GIANT) setup for muon-induced x-ray emission (MIXE) at the Paul Scherrer Institute

The usage of muonic x-rays to study elemental properties like nuclear radii ranges back to the seventies. This triggered the pioneering work at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), during the eighties on the Muon-induced x-ray emission (MIXE) technique for a non-destructive assessment of elemental compositions. In recent years, this method has seen a rebirth, improvement, and adoption at most muon facilities around the world. Hereby, the PSI offers unique capabilities with its high-rate continuous muon beam at the Swiss Muon Source (SμS). We report here the decision-making, construction, and commissioning of a dedicated MIXE spectrometer at PSI, the GermanIum Array for Non-destructive Testing (GIANT) setup. Multiple campaigns highlighted the outstanding capabilities of MIXE at PSI, e.g., resolving down to 1 at. % elemental concentrations with as little as 1 h data taking, measuring isotopic ratios for elements from iron to lead, and characterizing gamma rays induced by muon nuclear capture. On-target beam spots were characterized with a dedicated charged particle tracker to be symmetric to 5% with an average σ = 22.80(25) and 14.41(8) mm for 25 and 45 MeV/c, respectively. Advanced analysis of the high-purity germanium signals further allows us to improve energy and timing resolutions to ∼1 keV and 20 ns at 1 MeV, respectively. Within the GIANT setup, an average detector has a photopeak efficiency of ϵĒ=0.11% and an energy resolution of σĒ=0.8keV at E = 1000 keV. The overall performance of the GIANT setup at SμS allowed us to start a rich user program with archaeological samples, Li-ion battery research, and collaboration with the industry. Future improvements will include a simulation-based analysis and a higher degree of automation, e.g., automatic scans of a series of muon momenta and automatic sample changing.

Using ice core measurements from Taylor Glacier, Antarctica, to calibrate in situ cosmogenic 14C production rates by muons

Abstract. Cosmic rays entering the Earth's atmosphere produce showers of secondary particles such as protons, neutrons, and muons. The interaction of these particles with oxygen-16 (16O) in minerals such as ice and quartz can produce carbon-14 (14C). In glacial ice, 14C is also incorporated through trapping of 14C-containing atmospheric gases (14CO2, 14CO, and 14CH4). Understanding the production rates of in situ cosmogenic 14C is important to deconvolve the in situ cosmogenic and atmospheric 14C signals in ice, both of which contain valuable paleoenvironmental information. Unfortunately, the in situ 14C production rates by muons (which are the dominant production mechanism at depths of >6 m solid ice equivalent) are uncertain. In this study, we use measurements of in situ 14C in ancient ice (>50 ka) from the Taylor Glacier, an ablation site in Antarctica, in combination with a 2D ice flow model to better constrain the compound-specific rates of 14C production by muons and the partitioning of in situ 14C between CO2, CO, and CH4. Our measurements show that 33.7 % (±11.4 %; 95 % confidence interval) of the produced cosmogenic 14C forms 14CO and 66.1 % (±11.5 %; 95 % confidence interval) of the produced cosmogenic 14C forms 14CO2. 14CH4 represents a very small fraction (<0.3 %) of the total. Assuming that the majority of in situ muogenic 14C in ice forms 14CO2, 14CO, and 14CH4, we also calculated muogenic 14C production rates that are lower by factors of 5.7 (3.6–13.9; 95 % confidence interval) and 3.7 (2.0–11.9; 95 % confidence interval) for negative muon capture and fast muon interactions, respectively, when compared to values determined in quartz from laboratory studies (Heisinger et al., 2002a, b) and in a natural setting (Lupker et al., 2015). This apparent discrepancy in muogenic 14C production rates in ice and quartz currently lacks a good explanation and requires further investigation.

Ab initio calculation of muon capture on Mg24

In this work we study ordinary muon capture (OMC) on $^{24}$Mg from a first principles perspective. Starting from a particular two- and three-nucleon interaction derived from chiral effective field theory, we use the valence-space in-medium similarity renormalization group (VS-IMSRG) framework to construct effective Hamiltonians and muon-capture operators which nonperturbatively account for many-body physics outside the valence space. The obtained nuclear matrix elements are compared against those from the phenomenological shell model. The impact of including the correlations from the nuclear shell model (NSM) as well as including the induced two-body part is studied in detail. Furthermore, the effects of realistic bound-muon wave function on the operators is studied. Finally, predictions for capture rates to the lowest excited states in $^{24}$Na are given and compared with available data. It is found that the spectroscopic properties of $^{24}$Mg and its OMC daughter $^{24}$Na are fairly well described by both the NSM and VS-IMSRG, and that the effect of the hadronic two-body currents significantly reduces the OMC rates. Both models have some difficulties in matching the measured OMC rates, especially for the $2^+$ final states. This calls for further studies in other light nuclei with available OMC data.

Muon capture on deuteron using local chiral potentials

The muon capture reaction μ− + d → n + n + νμ in the doublet hyperfine state is studied using nuclear potentials and consistent currents derived in the chiral effective field theory, which are local and expressed in coordinate space (the so-called Norfolk models). Only the largest contribution due to the 1S0nn scattering state is considered. Particular attention is given to the estimate of theoretical uncertainty, for which four sources have been identified: 1) the model dependence, 2) the chiral-order convergence for the weak nuclear current, 3) the uncertainty in the single-nucleon axial form factor, and 4) the numerical technique adopted to solve the bound and scattering A = 2 systems. This last source of uncertainty has turned out to be essentially negligible. For the 1S0 doublet muon capture rate ΓD(S01), we obtain ΓD(S01)=255.8(0.6)(4.4)(2.9) s−1, where the three errors come from the first three sources of uncertainty. The value for ΓD(S01) obtained within this local chiral framework is compared with previous calculations and found in very good agreement.

Emissions of Hydrogen Isotopes from the Nuclear Muon Capture Reaction in natSi

The energy spectra of protons, deuterons and tritons produced by the nuclear muon capture reaction in natSi were measured at the M1 beam line of Muon Science Innovative Channel (MuSIC) in Research Center for Nuclear Physics (RCNP) using a counter telescope consisting of a Si detector and a CsI(Tl) scintillation detector. The measured energy spectra were consistent with the previous ones. The experimental energy spectra were compared with theoretical model calculations using the Particle and Heavy Ion Transport code System (PHITS). In PHITS, both the dynamical and statistical processes in the nuclear muon capture reaction are described by the Quantum Molecular Dynamics (QMD) or the modified QMD and the Generalized Evaporation Model (GEM), respectively. The PHITS simulation reproduced generally well the measured proton spectrum at emission energies below 20 MeV, while underestimation was seen at emission energies above 20 MeV. The PHITS simulation underestimates remarkably the measured energy spectra of light complex particles (deuterons, tritons, and alpha particles) in the high energy region.