Published September 20, 1976
| Version v1
Journal article
Measurement of the vacuum decay rate of orthopositronium
- 1. Department of Physics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
Description
Orthopositronium (o-Ps), formed on the cone of a channel electron multiplier by 400-eV positrons, is shown to diffuse quickly into an MgO-coated evacuated chamber with energies up to 0.8 +- 0.2 eV. The decay rate of o-Ps is measured to be 7.09 +- 0.02 μsec-1, where the error is due principally to systematic effects. This result is interpreted to be the first direct measurement of the vacuum decay rate of the o-Ps. It is in disagreement with the theoretical value of 7.242 +- 0.008 μ sec-1 and previous experiments in gases as well
Additional details
Identifiers
Publishing Information
- Journal Title
- Physical Review Letters
- Journal Volume
- 37
- Journal Issue
- 12
- Series
- Phys. Rev. Lett.
- Journal Page Range
- 729-732
- ISSN
- 0031-9007
INIS
- Country of Publication
- United States
- Country of Input or Organization
- United States
- INIS RN
- 8287985
- Subject category
- S74: ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS;
- Descriptors DEI
- DECAY; GAMMA SPECTRA; LIFETIME; POSITRONIUM; QUANTUM ELECTRODYNAMICS; VACUUM STATES
- Descriptors DEC
- ELECTRODYNAMICS; FIELD THEORIES; QUANTUM FIELD THEORY; SPECTRA
Optional Information
- Notes
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