Search for Mixing of Muonium ($\mu^+ e^-$) and Anti-muonium ($\mu^- e^+$)

A search is described for mixing of muonium (μ+e−) and antimuonium (μ−e+). Thermal muonium was produced by stopping muons in a SiO2 powder target. As a conversion signature, a μ− from antimuonium would create Ta184 in an adjacent tungsten foil. The surface layer of the sample was chemically extracted and counted in a low-background germanium spectrometer; no conversion events were observed. The resulting upper limit on the probability that a muonium atom spontaneously converts to antimuonium is 2.1×10−6 (90% confidence). This corresponds to a limit of 0.29GF on the effective four-fermion coupling constant between muonium and antimuonium.

muonium: transition
muonium: antiparticle
muon- nucleus: interaction
interaction: muon- nucleus
silicon
muonium: production
production: muonium
muon: capture
capture: muon
tungsten

References(60)

Figures(0)

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