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RIKEN Accel. Próg. Rep. 24 (1990)

V-l-4. RIKEN (Japan)-RAL (U.K.) Collaboration on Muon Science Research

K. Nagamine, T. Matsuzaki, and K. Ishida

In order to promote fundamental studies as well as applications of scientific research using unstable elementary particie called muons (//*, with life time of 2.2 //s), RIKEN has now started an international collaboration program with the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL), the largest science research laboratory in U.K. The agreement has been signed between RIKEN and SERC in September 29, 1990.

The goal of the research program is to develop various types of muon science, whose prominent examples are as follows: (a) muon catalyzed fusion, fundamental understandings and applica-tion toward energy resources; (b) non-destructive element analysis, application to various Sciences including medical diagnostics; (c) muon spin rota-tion, relaxation and resonance, application to characterizations of new materials including high T_c superconductors.

In order to realize these muon science experi-ments, RIKEN has already started to construct a new muon generating beam channel as well as experimental facilities at the accelerator laboratory called ISIS at RAL which contains a proton synchrotron producing the strongest pulsed pro-tons in the world. The beam channel contains a large solid-angle pion collector, a large supercon-ducting solenoid where pion decays into muon under a strong confinement field and an advanced muon collector with an electrostatic separator removing background particles and an rf magnetic kicker to feed muon pulses into two experimental ports simultaneously. The con-struction of the beam channel will be carried out in the period from 1990 to 1993, followed by the construction of basie experimental instruments such as a set-up for muon catalyzed fusion exper-iment. For all of these purposes, the Japanese government approved for RIKEN the first 40% of the total budget of 1.7 billion yen for the fisical 1990-1992. The proposed layout is shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 1. Proposed layout for the RIKEN-RAL muon beem channel.