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A Compact Apparatus for Muon Lifetime Measurement and Time Dilation Demonstration in the Undergraduate Laboratory

Thomas Coan·Tiankuan Liu·Jingbo Ye
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Abstract

We describe a compact apparatus that automatically measures the charge averaged lifetime of atmospheric muons in plastic scintillator using low-cost, low-power electronics and that measures the stopping rate of atmospheric muons as a function of altitude to demonstrate relativistic time dilation. The apparatus is designed for the advanced undergraduate physics laboratory and is suitable for field measurements.

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Thomas Coan, Tiankuan Liu, Jingbo Ye. 2005-02-19. A Compact Apparatus for Muon Lifetime Measurement and Time Dilation Demonstration in the Undergraduate Laboratory. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.2135319

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