Description

This book covers all aspects of the chemical behaviour of the muon - a rare, short-lived, elementary particle having a mass intermediate between that of the proton and the electron. Muons provide an exceptional opportunity to investigate basic chemical interactions, simply because they are so short-lived: they can thus be studied using the powerful technique of muon spin rotation, in which the yield, decay rate and identity of the muon in several different states is observed. Although originally of principal interest to nuclear and particle physicists, muons have recently become important as probes in solid-state physics and in all phases of chemistry. This book will be a valuable source of information for research scientists, university teachers and graduate students interested in physical chemistry, chemical physics and the application of nuclear science to the life sciences.