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Updated: Oct 24, 2025

Hyperpolarized Xenon for NMR and MRI Applications
Published on: September 6, 2012
Deexcitation Dynamics of Muonic Atoms Revealed by High-Precision Spectroscopy of Electronic K X Rays
T Okumura1, T Azuma1, D A Bennett2
1Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics Laboratory, RIKEN, Wako 351-0198, Japan.
Abstract:
We observed electronic K x rays emitted from muonic iron atoms using superconducting transition-edge sensor microcalorimeters. The energy resolution of 5.2 eV in FWHM allowed us to observe the asymmetric broad profile of the electronic characteristic Kα and Kβ x rays together with the hypersatellite K^{h}α x rays around 6 keV. This signature reflects the time-dependent screening of the nuclear charge by the negative muon and the L-shell electrons, accompanied by electron side feeding. Assisted by a simulation, these data clearly reveal the electronic K- and L-shell hole production and their temporal evolution on the 10-20 fs scale during the muon cascade process.
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