MadSci Network: Physics
Query:

Re: what is the velocity of a muon

Date: Thu Apr 13 11:21:21 2000
Posted By: Benn Tannenbaum, Post-doc/Fellow, Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles
Area of science: Physics
ID: 955411244.Ph
Message:

Dear Evan,

You asked what the velocity of a muon expelled from atom is, and from where
they are expelled.

I'm afraid I don't understand your question. Muons are inherently unstable,
and decay quite rapidly. Thus, to get a muon to be expelled from an atom,
one would have to be made somehow inside the nucleus. To the best of my
knowledge, there are no radioactive decays that cause a nucleus to emit a
muon (basically, it would violate the conservation of energy and lepton
number). So I can't see it happening. 

*HOWEVER!* If one were to be emitted, it would most likely be within a few
percent of the speed of light. 

I'm also unclear what you mean by 'where they are expelled'. The atom is
symmetric, which means it has no preferred axis, and the muon can come out
anywhere.

Sorry for not being of much help!


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