Feasibility demonstration of a high-momentum, high-purity muon beamline at the J-PARC Hadron Experimental Facility

Abstract

We have established and characterized a novel high-purity muon beam delivery scheme, designated as $μ$20, at the high-momentum hadron beamline (B-line) of the J-PARC Hadron Experimental Facility. This scheme delivers tertiary muons produced via the in-flight backward decays of secondary pions in the straight section of the beamline, inherently suppressing parent hadron contamination. In a systematic performance evaluation, the muon beam achieved a standalone intensity of $1.7\times10{^3}$ particles/spill with a spatial spread (standard deviation, $σ$) of approximately 15 mm at the downstream detector position. A systematic attenuation analysis utilizing an iron absorber verified a high muon purity of 98.0$\pm$0.6% for the 3 GeV/$c$ muon beam mode. Crucially, this work marks the first successful feasibility study of a high-momentum and high-purity muon beamline operation at an experimental facility in Japan.