First measurement of the temperature dependence of muon transfer rate from muonic hydrogen atoms to oxygen
E. Mocchiutti, A. Adamczak, D. Bakalov, G. Baldazzi, R. Benocci, R. Bertoni, M. Bonesini, V. Bonvicini, H. Cabrera Morales, F. Chignoli, M. Clemenza, Lorenzo Colace, M. Danailov, Petar Danev, A. de Bari, C. De Vecchi, M. De Vincenzi, E. Furlanetto, F. Fuschino, K.S. Gadedjisso-Tossou, D. Güffanti, K. Ishida, C. Labanti, Valter Maggi, R. Mazza, A. Menegolli, G. Morgante, M. Nastasi, Joseph Niemela, C. Pizzolotto, A. Pullia, Roberta Ramponi, L. P. Rignanese, M. Rossella, N. Rossi, M. Stoilov, Lyubomir I. Stoychev, L. Tortora, E. Vallazza, G. Zampa, A. Vacchi
Abstract
We report the first measurement of the temperature dependence of muon transfer rate from muonic hydrogen atoms to oxygen between 100 and 300 K. Data were obtained from the X-ray spectra of delayed events in a gaseous target, made of a H2/O2 mixture, exposed to a muon beam. This work sets constraints on theoretical models of muon transfer and is of fundamental importance for the measurement of the hyperfine splitting of muonic hydrogen ground state as proposed by the FAMU collaboration.