Time reversal test in the nuclear muon capture

Abstract

Possible effects of breaking CP-symmetry are looked for in the muon capture by a linearly polarized target nucleus. With this aim the recoil polarization in the partial transitions$0\xrightarrow{{\mu ^ - }}I,1/2\xrightarrow{{\mu ^ - }}J$ and$1\xrightarrow{{\mu ^ - }}I$ is investigated in a nuclear model independent way. It is shown that the hyperfine structure of the muonic atom significantly influences theT-odd correlations in the recoil polarization formula, and the expectation for theT- odd signal in case of the linearly polarized target is higher by one order of magnitude. We obtain the complete set of theT-odd observables which could enter the polarization formula. As an example, within the impulse approximation for the weak interaction hamiltonian, we analyse the nonstandard, CP-breaking extension of the Fermi theory using complex Fujii-Primakoff form factorG _V e^iφ.