Abstract
The interactions of 420—500 Me V/c K− in the 11T hydrogen bubble chamber HYBUC have been used to produce a sample of 120,000 σ± decays in flight1,2. We describe here how these decays were used to investigate the effects of longitudinal accelerations between 0.5 and 5.0 × 1015g on particle lifetimes. Any observed effect of acceleration on lifetime would indicate that the Lorentz transformation and/or the dynamics of particle decay is sensitive to acceleration. These data suggest that accelerations which change the Lorentz factor and which can return a relativistic elementary particle clock to rest do not cause any observable change in lifetime. This null result complements earlier measurements of the effects of transverse acceleration on muons13. Thus ensembles of elementary particles are ideal clocks which are invariant under intense accelerations.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Settles, R. et al. Phys. Rev. D20, 2154–2169 (1979).
Marraffino, J. et al. Phys. Rev. D21, 2501–2509 (1980).
Particle Data Group Phys. Lett. 75B, 1–250 (1978).
Cook, V., Ewart, T., Masek, G., Orr, R. & Platner, E. Phys. Rev. Lett. 17, 223–228 (1966).
Puschel, W. Nucl. Phys. 20, 254–274 (1960).
Evans, G. et al. N. Cimento 15, 873–898 (1960).
Freden, S. et al. N. Cimento 16, 611–624 (1960).
Kaplon, M. et al. Ann. Phys. 9, 139–168 (1960).
Chiesa, A. et al. N. Cimento 19, 1171–1182 (1961).
Barkas, M. et al. Phys. Rev. 124, 1209–1223 (1961).
Bhowmik, B. et al. Nucl. Phys. 53, 22–32 (1964).
Tovee, D. et al. Nucl. Phys. B 33, 493–514 (1971).
Bailey, J. et al. Nature 268, 301–304 (1977).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Roos, C., Marraffino, J., Reucroft, S. et al. σ± lifetimes and longitudinal acceleration. Nature 286, 244–245 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1038/286244a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/286244a0
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.
