Ortho-para transition rate in $μ$-molecular hydrogen and the proton's induced pseudoscalar coupling $g_p$

Abstract

We report a measurement of the ortho-para transition rate in the p$μ$p molecule. The experiment was conducted at TRIUMF via the measurement of the time dependence of the 5.2 MeV neutrons from muon capture in liquid hydrogen. The measurement yielded an ortho-para rate $Λ_{op} = (11.1 \pm 1.7 \pm^{0.9}_{0.6}) \times 10^4$ s$^{-1}$ that is substantially larger than the earlier result of Bardin {\it et al.} We discuss the striking implications for the proton's induced pseudoscalar coupling $g_p$.

4 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. Lett