Contributor info: Dr Malte Hildebrandt

A. Antognini, N. J. Ayres, I. Belosevic, V. Bondar, A. Eggenberger, M. Hildebrandt, R. Iwai, K. Kirch, A. Knecht, G. Lospalluto, J. Nuber, A. Papa, M. Sakurai, I. Solovyev, D. Taqqu, T. Yan

SciPost Phys. Core 8, 071 (2025) · published 20 October 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

We present the first demonstration of simultaneous phase space compression in two spatial dimensions of a positive muon beam, the first stage of the novel high-brightness muon beam under development by the muCool collaboration at the Paul Scherrer Institute. The keV-energy, sub-mm size beam would enable a factor $10^5$ improvement in brightness for precision $\mu$SR, and atomic and particle physics measurements with positive muons. This compression is achieved within a cryogenic helium gas target with a strong density gradient, placed in a homogeneous magnetic field, under the influence of a complex electric field. In the next phase, the muon beam will be extracted into vacuum.

Malte Hildebrandt, Claude Petitjean

SciPost Phys. Proc. 5, 017 (2021) · published 6 September 2021 | Toggle abstract · pdf

The singlet muon capture rate $\Lambda_S$ on the proton $\mu^-\ p \to \nu_\mu n$ is determined in a high precision lifetime measurement. The main apparatus consists of a new hydrogen time projection chamber as muon detector, developed by PSI, surrounded by cylindrical wire chambers and a plastic scintillator hodoscope as electron detectors. The parameter $\Lambda_S$ is evaluated as the difference between the inverse $\mu\,p$ lifetime and that of the free $\mu^+$. The result $\Lambda_S^\text{MuCap} = (715.6 \pm 5.4^\text{stat} \pm 5.1^\text{sys})\,\text{s}^{-1}$ is in excellent agreement with the prediction of chiral perturbation theory $\Lambda_S^{\chi\text{PT}} = (715.4 \pm 6.9)\,\text{s}^{-1}$. From $\Lambda_S^\text{MuCap}$ a recent analysis derives for the induced pseudoscalar coupling $g^\text{MuCap}_p = 8.23 \pm 0.83$ whereas $\bar{g}^{\chi\text{PT}}_p = 8.25 \pm 0.25$.}