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Muons as Relativistic Clocks
Jeremy Ouellette '04

Jeremy Ouellette
Checking out the muon detector
Photo courtesy Tara LaFredo, SLU University Communications.

Abstract:

    Using the muons contained in cosmic radiation, the phenomena of relativistic time dilation was observed. The muons were counted at a medium altitude and also at the laboratory in Canton, per the method of the 1963 paper “Measurement of the Relativistic Time Dilation Using μ-Mesons” by David H. Frisch and James H. Smith1. Using this method an average time dilation factor (gamma value) of γ = 2 ± 0.6 was determined.

1 American Journal of Physics, Vol. 31 (1963), pp. 342-355.

 

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