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Longitudinal Polarization of the Positrons from the Decay of Unpolarized Positive Muons

Abstract

IT is now well known that parity is not conserved in weak Fermi interactions, and that this generally results in longitudinal polarization of the spins of the emitted particles. Very strong polarizations of the muons emitted in pion decay1, and of the electrons emitted in beta decay2, have already been detected. The experiment reported here was aimed at detecting longitudinal polarization of the positrons emitted in the decay of unpolarized muons.

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CULLIGAN, G., FRANK, S., HOLT, J. et al. Longitudinal Polarization of the Positrons from the Decay of Unpolarized Positive Muons. Nature 180, 751–752 (1957). https://doi.org/10.1038/180751a0

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