Muon capture is the capture of a negative muon by a proton, usually resulting in production of a neutron and a neutrino, and sometimes a gamma photon.
Muon capture by heavy nuclei often leads to emission of particles; most often neutrons, but charged particles can be emitted as well.
Ordinary muon capture (OMC) involves capture of a negative muon from the atomic orbital without emission of a gamma photon:
- μ− + p+ → ν + n0
Radiative muon capture (RMC) is a radiative version of OMC, where a gamma photon is emitted:
- μ− + p+ → ν + n0 + γ
One motivation for the study of muon capture on the proton is its connection to the proton's induced pseudoscalar form factor gp.
Famous quotes containing the word capture:
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—Marcus Tullius Cicero (106–43 B.C.)