On the Range of the Electrons in Meson Decay

Abstract

An experiment has been carried out both at Chicago and on Mt. Evans, Colorado, to determine the absorption of the electrons emitted in the decay of cosmic-ray mesons. Approximately 8000 counts have been obtained, using a hydrocarbon as the absorbing material. These data are used to deduce some features of the energy spectrum of the decay electrons. The resolution of the apparatus is calculated, taking the geometry, scattering, and radiation into account. The results indicate that the spectrum is either continuous, from 0 to about 55 Mev with an average energy ∼32 Mev or consists of three or more discrete energies. No variation of the lifetime with the thickness of the absorber is observed. The experiment, therefore, offers some evidence in favor of the hypothesis that the $\mu$-meson disintegrates into 3 light particles.