Muon capture on light isotopes measured with the Double Chooz detector

Abe, Y.; Abrahao, T.; Almazan, H.; Alt, C.; Appel, S.; Barriere, J. C.; Baussan, E.; Bekman, I.; Bergevin, M.; Bezerra, T. J. C.; Bezrukov, L.; Blucher, E.; Brugiere, T.; Buck, C.; Busenitz, J.; Cabrera, A.; Camilleri, L.; Carr, R.; Cerrada, M.; Chauveau, E.; Chimenti, P.; Collin, A. P.; Conover, E.; Conrad, J. M.; Crespo-Anadon, J. I.; Crum, K.; Cucoanes, A. S.; Damon, E.; Dawson, J. V.; De Kerret, H.; Dhooghe, J.; Dietrich, D.; Djurcic, Z.; Dos Anjos, J. C.; Dracos, M.; Etenko, A.; Fallot, M.; Felde, J.; Fernandes, S. M.; Fischer, V.; Franco, D.; Franke, M.; Furuta, H.; Gil-Botella, I.; Giot, L.; Goger-Neff, M.; Gomez, H.; Gonzalez, L. F. G.; Goodenough, L.; Goodman, M. C.; Haag, N.; Hara, T.; Haser, J.; Hellwig, D.; Hofmann, M.; Horton-Smith, G. A.; Hourlier, A.; Ishitsuka, M.; Jochum, J.; Jollet, C.; Kaether, F.; Kalousis, L. N.; Kamyshkov, Y.; Kaneda, M.; Kaplan, D. M.; Kawasaki, T.; Kemp, E.; Kryn, D.; Kuze, M.; Lachenmaier, T.; Lane, C. E.; Lasserre, T.; Letourneau, A.; Lhuillier, D.; Lima, H. P.; Lindner, M.; Lopez-Castano, J. M.; Losecco, J. M.; Lubsandorzhiev, B.; Lucht, S.; Maeda, J.; Mariani, C.; Maricic, J.; Martino, J.; Matsubara, T.; Mention, G.; Meregaglia, A.; Miletic, T.; Milincic, R.; Minotti, A.; Nagasaka, Y.; Navas-Nicolas, D.; Novella, P.; Oberauer, L.; Obolensky, M.; Onillon, A.; Osborn, A.; Palomares, C.; Pepe, I. M.; Perasso, S.; Porta, A.; Pronost, G.; Reichenbacher, J.; Reinhold, B.; Rohling, M.; Roncin, R.; Rybolt, B.; Sakamoto, Y.; Santorelli, R.; Schilithz, A. C.; Schonert, S.; Schoppmann, S.; Shaevitz, M. H.; Sharankova, R.; Shrestha, D.; Sibille, V.; Sinev, V.; Skorokhvatov, M.; Smith, E.; Soiron, M.; Spitz, J.; Stahl, A.; Stancu, I.; Stokes, L. F. F.; Strait, M.; Suekane, F.; Sukhotin, S.; Sumiyoshi, T.; Sun, Y.; Svoboda, R.; Terao, K.; Tonazzo, A.; Trinh Thi, H. H.; Valdiviesso, G.; Vassilopoulos, N.; Veyssiere, C.; Vivier, M.; Von Feilitzsch, F.; Wagner, S.; Walsh, N.; Watanabe, H.; Wiebusch, C.; Wurm, M.; Yang, G.; Yermia, F.; Zimmer, V.

doi:10.1103/PhysRevC.93.054608

Using the Double Chooz detector, designed to measure the neutrino mixing angle θ13, the products of μ- capture on C12,C13,N14, and O16 have been measured. Over a period of 489.5 days, 2.3×106 stopping cosmic μ- have been collected, of which 1.8×105 captured on carbon, nitrogen, or oxygen nuclei in the inner detector scintillator or acrylic vessels. The resulting isotopes were tagged using prompt neutron emission (when applicable), the subsequent β decays, and, in some cases, β-delayed neutrons. The most precise measurement of the rate of C12(μ-,ν)B12 to date is reported: 6.57-0.21+0.11×103s-1, or (17.35-0.59+0.35)% of nuclear captures. By tagging excited states emitting γs, the ground state transition rate to B12 has been determined to be 5.68-0.23+0.14×103s-1. The heretofore unobserved reactions C12(μ-,να)Li8,C13(μ-,νnα)Li8, and C13(μ-,νn)B12 are measured. Further, a population of βn decays following stopping muons is identified with 5.5σ significance. Statistics limit our ability to identify these decays definitively. Assuming negligible production of He8, the reaction C13(μ-,να)Li9 is found to be present at the 2.7σ level. Limits are set on a variety of other processes.