1. Longitudinal Polarization of the Electrons from the Decay of Unpolarized Positive and Negative Muons
- Author
-
S. G. F. Frank, G. Culligan, and J. R. Holt
- Subjects
Physics ,Particle physics ,Muon ,Physics::Instrumentation and Detectors ,Astrophysics::High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena ,High Energy Physics::Phenomenology ,Bremsstrahlung ,Electron ,Beta decay ,Helicity ,Nuclear physics ,Pion ,General Earth and Planetary Sciences ,High Energy Physics::Experiment ,Neutrino ,General Environmental Science ,Lepton - Abstract
The polarization of electrons from the decay of unpolarized positive and negative muons has been detected by the method of transmission of bremsstrahlung through magnetized iron. It is shown that the positrons have positive helicity and the negatrons negative helicity, thus providing a clear demonstration of violation of invariance under charge conjugation. It follows on the basis of the two component neutrino theory that the neutrino associated with the decay of the pion has negative helicity and the anti-neutrino positive helicity. The agreement of this with recent results for the neutrino in β-decay lends support to this theory and confirms the law of conservation of leptons.
- Published
- 1959