Measurement of the muon transfer rate from muonic hydrogen to oxygen in the range 70-336 K

TL;DR

This study measures how the rate of muon transfer from muonic hydrogen to oxygen varies with temperature, extending previous work to a broader temperature range to validate earlier findings and compare with theory.

Contribution

It provides new experimental data on muon transfer rates across a wider temperature range, confirming the temperature dependence observed in prior measurements.

Findings

Transfer rate increases with temperature from 70 K to 336 K.

Results support previous observations of temperature dependence.

Data aligns with theoretical predictions.

Abstract

The first measurement of the temperature dependence of the muon transfer rate from muonic hydrogen to oxygen was performed by the FAMU collaboration in 2016. The results provide evidence that the transfer rate rises with the temperature in the range 104-300 K. This paper presents the results of the experiment done in 2018 to extend the measurements towards lower (70 K) and higher (336 K) temperatures. The 2018 results confirm the temperature dependence of the muon transfer rate observed in 2016 and sets firm ground for comparison with the theoretical predictions.