Cosmic‐ray muon flux and the W particle
DOI: 10.1063/1.3022428
Four years ago Jack Keuffel and his collaborators at the University of Utah found an anomalous muon flux in cosmic rays. Their recent results are consistent with the observation of a W particle, or intermediate vector boson, whose mass is estimated at 20 to 40 GeV. The W particle is believed to be the carrier of the weak force, with a role comparable to that of the pion in nuclear forces. The Utah analysis depends on a model of the W put forth by James D. Bjorken (SLAC), Sandip Pakvasa, San‐Fu Tuan and Walter Simmons (University of Hawaii). Results were reported late in August at the International Conference on Cosmic Rays in Hobart, Tasmania and the APS Division of Particles and Fields meeting in Rochester.
