Direct observation of muonic molecules in resonance states critical to muon catalyzed fusion.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 41984964.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1126/sciadv.aed3321 and PMC identifier 13082326.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Muon catalyzed fusion (μCF) is a plasma-free process in which the formation of muonic hydrogen molecules precedes and enables fusion between their constituent nuclei. Despite decades of study, the reaction dynamics of μCF remain elusive. Recent theories predict that resonance states of the muonic molecules play a key role and that these states can be probed using x-ray techniques. Using an array of transition-edge sensor microcalorimeters with 10-fold improved energy resolution compared to conventional silicon detectors, we observed x-rays from resonance states of muonic deuterium molecules despite an intense background. The spectrum is well explained by high-precision calculations incorporating the vibrational states. This work identifies the long-overlooked resonance state pathway as crucial in μCF and provides the direct evidence of the efficient muonic molecular formation.