Muon Spectroscopy

Description

Aimed at beginner graduate students, this book provides a comprehensive introduction to muon spectroscopy and its uses in, among other applications, the study of semiconductors, magnets, superconductors, chemical reactions, and battery materials.

• This textbook highlights the relevance of muon spectroscopy to many scientific areas across physics and chemistry
• Introduces the technique including theoretical foundations and practical and computational skills
• Draws on the expertise of a large team of contributors, while maintaining consistency in its pedagogical style and systematic presentation of topics
• Equally suitable as a course text and as an aid to independent study

About the Author(s)

Edited by Stephen J. Blundell, Professor of Physics, University of Oxford, Roberto De Renzi, Professor of Physics, University of Parma, Tom Lancaster, Professor of Physics, Durham University, and Francis L. Pratt, STFC Fellow, ISIS Neutron and Muon Source

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 <i>µ</i>SR 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.

Table of Contents

1:The Basics of µSR
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 µSR
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 µSR
19:Stimulation Methods
20:High Magnetic Fields
21:Muons under Pressure
22:Negative Muon Techniques
Part V: Complementary Techniques
23:µSR versus Other Resonance and Bulk Techniques
24:X-rays, Neutrons, and µSR

Reviews

"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." - Nanjundiah Sadanand, Central Connecticut State University

"Such an introductory text is completely lacking at the moment, and I think that this team is the ideal choice for bringing an edited volume together." - Nicola Spaldin (Materials Theory, ETH Zurich)