Pion transfer in gaseous hydrogen

• Main Author: Noble, Anthony James
• Language: English
• Published: University of British Columbia 2010
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/26016

The experiment consisted of stopping negative pions in a high pressure gas target to measure the transfer rate π-p → π-d in mixtures of H2, D2 and HD gas. The gamma rays from the decay of the π ⁰ in π -p → n + π ⁰ were detected in coincidence using two large sodium iodide crystals. The probability that a pion be transferred to a deuteron from a pionic hydrogen complex was described in terms of a phenomenological model parameterized by B and ∧. Fits to the data yielded B = 0.77 ±0.14 and ∧ = 0.21 ±0.04. These values implied that the hydrogen capture ratio in an equal mix of H2 and D2 was F(H₂D₂) = 0.45 ±0.01. The capture ratio for HD was measured to be F(HD) = 0.355 ±0.021. The ratio F(H₂D₂)/F(HD) indicated that there was likely to be internal transfer in the breakup of π-HD favouring the π-d complex at about a 60% level. === Science, Faculty of === Physics and Astronomy, Department of === Graduate