Measurement of the Positive Muon Lifetime and Determination of the Fermi Constant to Part-per-Million Precision

D. M. Webber; V. Tishchenko; Q. Peng; S. Battu; R. M. Carey; D. B. Chitwood; J. Crnkovic; P. T. Debevec; S. Dhamija; W. Earle; A. Gafarov; K. Giovanetti; T. P. Gorringe; F. E. Gray; Z. Hartwig; D. W. Hertzog; B. Johnson; P. Kammel; B. Kiburg; S. Kizilgul; J. Kunkle; B. Lauss; I. Logashenko; R. McNabb; J. P. Miller; F. Mulhauser; C. J. G. Onderwater; J. Phillips; S. Rath; B. L. Roberts; P. Winter; B. Wolfe; μLan Collaboration

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.106.041803

Measurement of the Positive Muon Lifetime and Determination of the Fermi Constant to Part-per-Million Precision

D. M. Webber^*, V. Tishchenko, Q. Peng, S. Battu, R. M. Carey, D. B. Chitwood, J. Crnkovic, P. T. Debevec, S. Dhamija, W. Earle, A. Gafarov, K. Giovanetti, T. P. Gorringe, F. E. Gray, Z. Hartwig, D. W. Hertzog, B. Johnson, P. Kammel, B. Kiburg, S. KizilgulJ. Kunkle, B. Lauss, I. Logashenko, R. McNabb, J. P. Miller, F. Mulhauser, C. J. G. Onderwater, J. Phillips, S. Rath, B. L. Roberts, P. Winter, B. Wolfe, μLan Collaboration

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

We report a measurement of the positive muon lifetime to a precision of 1.0 ppm; it is the most precise particle lifetime ever measured. The experiment used a time-structured, low-energy muon beam and a segmented plastic scintillator array to record more than 2 X 10(12) decays. Two different stopping target configurations were employed in independent data-taking periods. The combined results give tau(mu)+(MuLan) = 2 196 980.3(2.2) ps, more than 15 times as precise as any previous experiment. The muon lifetime gives the most precise value for the Fermi constant: G(F)(MuLan) = 1.166 378 8(7) X 10(-5) GeV(-2) (0.6 ppm). It is also used to extract the mu(-)p singlet capture rate, which determines the proton's weak induced pseudoscalar coupling g(P).

Original language	English
Article number	041803
Journal	Physical Review Letters
Volume	106
Issue number	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.106.041803
Publication status	Published - 25 Jan 2011
Externally published	Yes

Keywords

RADIATIVE-CORRECTIONS
NEUTRON DECAY

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10.1103/PhysRevLett.106.041803Licence: Free access - publisher

1 Erratum / corrigendum / retractions

Publisher's note: Measurement of the positive muon lifetime and determination of the Fermi constant to part-per-million precision [Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 041803 (2011)]
Webber, D. M., Tishchenko, V., Peng, Q., Battu, S., Carey, R. M., Chitwood, D. B., Crnkovic, J., Debevec, P. T., Dhamija, S., Earle, W., Gafarov, A., Giovanetti, K., Gorringe, T. P., Gray, F. E., Hartwig, Z., Hertzog, D. W., Johnson, B., Kammel, P., Kiburg, B. & Kizilgul, S. & 12 others, Kunkle, J., Lauss, B., Logashenko, I., McNabb, R., Miller, J. P., Mulhauser, F., Onderwater, C. J. G., Phillips, J., Rath, S., Winter, P., Wolfe, B. & μLan Collaboration, 14 Feb 2011, In: Physical Review Letters. 106, 7
Research output: Contribution to journal › Erratum / corrigendum / retractions › Academic

Cite this

Webber, D. M., Tishchenko, V., Peng, Q., Battu, S., Carey, R. M., Chitwood, D. B., Crnkovic, J., Debevec, P. T., Dhamija, S., Earle, W., Gafarov, A., Giovanetti, K., Gorringe, T. P., Gray, F. E., Hartwig, Z., Hertzog, D. W., Johnson, B., Kammel, P., Kiburg, B., ... μLan Collaboration (2011). Measurement of the Positive Muon Lifetime and Determination of the Fermi Constant to Part-per-Million Precision. Physical Review Letters, 106(4), Article 041803. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.106.041803

@article{ef04553146f0412d8ac703e76cb5cc64,

title = "Measurement of the Positive Muon Lifetime and Determination of the Fermi Constant to Part-per-Million Precision",

abstract = "We report a measurement of the positive muon lifetime to a precision of 1.0 ppm; it is the most precise particle lifetime ever measured. The experiment used a time-structured, low-energy muon beam and a segmented plastic scintillator array to record more than 2 X 10(12) decays. Two different stopping target configurations were employed in independent data-taking periods. The combined results give tau(mu)+(MuLan) = 2 196 980.3(2.2) ps, more than 15 times as precise as any previous experiment. The muon lifetime gives the most precise value for the Fermi constant: G(F)(MuLan) = 1.166 378 8(7) X 10(-5) GeV(-2) (0.6 ppm). It is also used to extract the mu(-)p singlet capture rate, which determines the proton's weak induced pseudoscalar coupling g(P).",

keywords = "RADIATIVE-CORRECTIONS, NEUTRON DECAY",

author = "Webber, {D. M.} and V. Tishchenko and Q. Peng and S. Battu and Carey, {R. M.} and Chitwood, {D. B.} and J. Crnkovic and Debevec, {P. T.} and S. Dhamija and W. Earle and A. Gafarov and K. Giovanetti and Gorringe, {T. P.} and Gray, {F. E.} and Z. Hartwig and Hertzog, {D. W.} and B. Johnson and P. Kammel and B. Kiburg and S. Kizilgul and J. Kunkle and B. Lauss and I. Logashenko and R. McNabb and Miller, {J. P.} and F. Mulhauser and Onderwater, {C. J. G.} and J. Phillips and S. Rath and Roberts, {B. L.} and P. Winter and B. Wolfe and {μLan Collaboration}",

year = "2011",

month = jan,

day = "25",

doi = "10.1103/PhysRevLett.106.041803",

language = "English",

volume = "106",

journal = "Physical Review Letters",

issn = "0031-9007",

publisher = "American Physical Society",

number = "4",

}

Webber, DM, Tishchenko, V, Peng, Q, Battu, S, Carey, RM, Chitwood, DB, Crnkovic, J, Debevec, PT, Dhamija, S, Earle, W, Gafarov, A, Giovanetti, K, Gorringe, TP, Gray, FE, Hartwig, Z, Hertzog, DW, Johnson, B, Kammel, P, Kiburg, B, Kizilgul, S, Kunkle, J, Lauss, B, Logashenko, I, McNabb, R, Miller, JP, Mulhauser, F, Onderwater, CJG, Phillips, J, Rath, S, Roberts, BL, Winter, P, Wolfe, B & μLan Collaboration 2011, 'Measurement of the Positive Muon Lifetime and Determination of the Fermi Constant to Part-per-Million Precision', Physical Review Letters, vol. 106, no. 4, 041803. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.106.041803

TY - JOUR

T1 - Measurement of the Positive Muon Lifetime and Determination of the Fermi Constant to Part-per-Million Precision

AU - Webber, D. M.

AU - Tishchenko, V.

AU - Peng, Q.

AU - Battu, S.

AU - Carey, R. M.

AU - Chitwood, D. B.

AU - Crnkovic, J.

AU - Debevec, P. T.

AU - Dhamija, S.

AU - Earle, W.

AU - Gafarov, A.

AU - Giovanetti, K.

AU - Gorringe, T. P.

AU - Gray, F. E.

AU - Hartwig, Z.

AU - Hertzog, D. W.

AU - Johnson, B.

AU - Kammel, P.

AU - Kiburg, B.

AU - Kizilgul, S.

AU - Kunkle, J.

AU - Lauss, B.

AU - Logashenko, I.

AU - McNabb, R.

AU - Miller, J. P.

AU - Mulhauser, F.

AU - Onderwater, C. J. G.

AU - Phillips, J.

AU - Rath, S.

AU - Roberts, B. L.

AU - Winter, P.

AU - Wolfe, B.

AU - μLan Collaboration

PY - 2011/1/25

Y1 - 2011/1/25

N2 - We report a measurement of the positive muon lifetime to a precision of 1.0 ppm; it is the most precise particle lifetime ever measured. The experiment used a time-structured, low-energy muon beam and a segmented plastic scintillator array to record more than 2 X 10(12) decays. Two different stopping target configurations were employed in independent data-taking periods. The combined results give tau(mu)+(MuLan) = 2 196 980.3(2.2) ps, more than 15 times as precise as any previous experiment. The muon lifetime gives the most precise value for the Fermi constant: G(F)(MuLan) = 1.166 378 8(7) X 10(-5) GeV(-2) (0.6 ppm). It is also used to extract the mu(-)p singlet capture rate, which determines the proton's weak induced pseudoscalar coupling g(P).

AB - We report a measurement of the positive muon lifetime to a precision of 1.0 ppm; it is the most precise particle lifetime ever measured. The experiment used a time-structured, low-energy muon beam and a segmented plastic scintillator array to record more than 2 X 10(12) decays. Two different stopping target configurations were employed in independent data-taking periods. The combined results give tau(mu)+(MuLan) = 2 196 980.3(2.2) ps, more than 15 times as precise as any previous experiment. The muon lifetime gives the most precise value for the Fermi constant: G(F)(MuLan) = 1.166 378 8(7) X 10(-5) GeV(-2) (0.6 ppm). It is also used to extract the mu(-)p singlet capture rate, which determines the proton's weak induced pseudoscalar coupling g(P).

KW - RADIATIVE-CORRECTIONS

KW - NEUTRON DECAY

U2 - 10.1103/PhysRevLett.106.041803

DO - 10.1103/PhysRevLett.106.041803

M3 - Article

SN - 0031-9007

VL - 106

JO - Physical Review Letters

JF - Physical Review Letters

IS - 4

M1 - 041803

ER -

Measurement of the Positive Muon Lifetime and Determination of the Fermi Constant to Part-per-Million Precision

Abstract

Keywords

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Research output

Publisher's note: Measurement of the positive muon lifetime and determination of the Fermi constant to part-per-million precision [Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 041803 (2011)]

Cite this