SCIPP QuarkNet Internship 2013


Magnetic Deflection of Muons

We devised this experiment to find out if there was any way to shield an area from incoming muons. We created a magnetic field using a total of 11 neodymium magnets, in order to create a magnetic field that could possibly bend or deflect the paths of muons traveling vertically. Set to a 4 fold coincidence, our detectors were spaced out about 0.5 meters each in a stacked configuration, creating a smaller angle of acceptance for muons to pass through all 4 detectors. Magnets were first placed between the middle detectors, then above all detectors when results were miniscule. Overall, we found that count rates were lower with the addition of a magnetic field by ~0.1 counts per second, compared to control runs without magnets. Magnetic fields seem to be a viable means of shielding from muons, though longer data runs and more powerful magnets must be used to fully show the effects of magnetic shielding.
Magnetic Deflection of Muons
Magnetic Deflection of Muons