Formation of the muonic HF molecule during the stopping of negative muons in a neon-hydrogen mixture
Bin'ko G. F. , Dobretsov Yu. P. , Grebenev V. N. , Gurov Yu. B. , Kirillov-Ugryumov V. G., Maloletnev A. A. , Mikaelyan A. L. , Pichugin A. P.
The residual polarization of negative muons has been measured by the μSR method in an apparatus with a gaseous target, either pure neon or a Ne+H2 mixture, at room temperature in a transverse magnetic field of 200 G. In pure neon (24 atm) a precession of the polarization of the muon frequency was not observed. The measured asymmetry coefficient in the mixture Ne (24 atm)+H2 (16 atm) is 0.59±0.09%. The results are explained in terms of the formation of a muonic HF molecule. The results show that it is possible to use polarized negative muons to study fast physical and chemical processes in the gas phase.