Muon Capture and Muon Lifetime

Abstract

We survey a new generation of precision muon lifetime experiments. The goal of the MuCap experiment is a determination of the rate for muon capture on the free proton to 1 percent, from which the induced pseudoscalar form factor $g_P$ of the nucleon can be derived with 7 percent precision. A measurement of the related $μ$d capture process with similar precision would provide unique information on the axial current in the two nucleon system, relevant for fundamental neutrino reactions on deuterium. The MuLan experiment aims to measure the positive muon lifetime with 20 fold improved precision compared to present knowledge in order to determine the Fermi Coupling Constant $G_F$ to better than 1 ppm.