Master-equation approach to muonium depolarization in solids

Abstract

The theory of master equations for open systems is applied to describe the spin relaxation of muonium in solids. An equation of motion for the density matrix of muonium is derived which takes into account the interaction of the bound electron with the host. The calculated muon relaxation rates depend strongly on the applied magnetic field. The range of validity of the Markov approximation is investigated and the results are compared with those of previous theories.