Measurement of neutron spectra following stopped muon capture on liquid deuterium
Date
1987
Authors
Turcot, André Spence
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Abstract
The energetic neutron spectrum following stopped muon capture on liquid deuterium has been measured for the first time. The measurement, performed at TRIUMF, used a high purity liquid deuterium target. The energy measurement was based on the time-of-flight technique which relied on detecting both neutrons present in the final state within a constrained geometry. The final spectrum obtained shows evidence of a possible enhancement of the neutron yield in the 35-50 Mev energy range. The findings are consistent with the prediction for the high energy neutron limit of a 200% enhancement due to meson exchange currents. The results show that further experimental investigation of light nuclei ( A ~ 4) is necessary to determine whether meson exchange currents are responsible for the observed enhancements in the energetic particle spectrum following muon capture in heavier nuclei.