Muon Spectroscopy

Stephen J. Blundell is a Professor of Physics at the University of Oxford and a Professorial Fellow of Mansfield College, Oxford. He leads a research group which uses muon spectroscopy to solve problems in magnetism and superconductivity and he has been developing ab initio techniques to understand the nature of the muon site.Roberto De Renzi is Professor of Physics at the University of Parma. He started developing muon spin spectrometers at CERN in 1980 and later took part in the design of the ISIS Muon Facility. He currently leads a µSR and NMR group dedicated to the experimental investigation of magnetic and superconducting compounds, and to the application of ab-initio techniques to assist the measurement of condensed matter properties based on the experimental detection of hyperfine fields.Tom Lancaster was a research fellow at the University of Oxford before taking up a lectureship at Durham University in 2012, where he is currently Professor of Physics. His research group's interests include using muons to investigate low-dimensional, topological, and molecular magnetism, and the nature of the muon stopping state.Francis L. Pratt is a senior scientist and STFC Fellow based in the muon group at the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source. He has worked in muon spectroscopy for more than thirty years, using experimental facilities in the UK, Switzerland, and Japan. His research interests are focused on condensed matter physics using muons, with topics ranging from the study of quantum magnets and spin liquids to organic magnets and superconductors and the physics of molecular systems.

Fundamental particles such as electrons and protons have been used since their discovery for uncovering the structures of materials and for diagnostics and treatment in medicine. Instruments called spectroscopes exploit the waves associated with energetic particles to glean information, much as X-rays were used to decipher the structure of DNA. In this text, authors introduce another fundamental particle called the muon and discuss its usage in spectroscopic analysis [...] covering properties of the muon, its interactive behaviors with surrounding materials, the history and physics of muon spectroscopy, and production of muons for experimentation. Each chapter includes solved and still-to-be-solved examples along with some model answers. Good illustrations and graphs support the description of this fascinating new method of delving more deeply into the structure of matter.

• 1: The Basics of µ SR Part I: Elements of Muon Spectroscopy 2: Introduction 3: Muon Charge and Spin States 4: The Quantum Muon 5: Polarization Functions Part II: Science with µ SR 6: Magnetism 7: Dynamic Effects in Magnetism 8: Measuring Dynamic Processes 9: Superconductors 10: Semiconductors and Dielectrics 11: Ionic Motion 12: Chemistry Part III: Practicalities of Muon Spectroscopy 13: Making Muons 14: Instrumentation 15: Doing the Experiment Part IV: Further Topics in Muon Spectroscopy 16: Calculating Muon Sites 17: Numerical Modelling 18: Low Energy µ SR 19: Stimulation Methods 20: High Magnetic Fields 21: Muons under Pressure 22: Negative Muon Techniques Part V: Complementary Techniques 23: µ SR versus Other Resonance and Bulk Techniques 24: X-rays, Neutrons, and µ SR Free