Muon energy - Reasonable result?

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The forum discussion centers on calculating the energy of a photon emitted during a transition of a muon captured in a zinc atom (Z=30) from the n=2 to n=1 energy level. The calculated photon energy is approximately 380 MeV, which raises concerns about its validity due to its high value. Participants emphasize the necessity of using the Bohr model for zinc and adjusting for the muon's reduced mass in calculations, highlighting that the 2s and 2p states have significantly different energies, which affects the results.

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  • Understanding of Bohr's model of the atom
  • Familiarity with muon properties and their differences from electrons
  • Knowledge of reduced mass calculations
  • Basic principles of photon energy and transitions in atomic physics
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  • Study the Bohr model for multi-electron atoms, specifically for Z=30
  • Learn about reduced mass calculations in systems involving muons
  • Research the differences between 2s and 2p energy states in atomic physics
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Students and researchers in atomic physics, particularly those studying muon interactions, photon emissions, and energy transitions in multi-electron atoms.

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Hi.

I have an assignment where a muon gets caught in a zinc atom (Z=30) at n=2. I'm supposed to calculate the energy of the photon that is emitted in the transition to n=1.

I have managed to calculate the energy of this photon, but I'm having a little trouble determining the validity of my result:

The result I got was that the emitted photon had an energy of approximately 380 MeV. Even though I expected a high energy/frequency since the mass of the muon is larger than that of an electron, I still think that this is an extremely high energy.

I don't have extremely much experience of this type of calculations, and maybe the result _is_ within reasonable limits, but I actually don't know.

Thanks in advance.
 
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The question itself is very poorly written. For one thing, the 2s and 2p states have quite different energies. So, it appears that you are just expected to use the Bohr approximation for Zinc! :eek: And it doesn't look like you are expected to account for screening in even the most simplistic way.

I get a number that is over 2 orders of magnitude smaller than yours. We'll need to see your calculation to be able to tell you what's wrong.
 
Just use Bohr Theory for Z = 30 and adjust the reduced mass using the muon.
 

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