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Scientific American Volume 196 Issue 4 1957 (Doi 10.1038 - Scientificamerican0457-45) Morrison, Philip - The Overthrow of Parity
Scientific American Volume 196 Issue 4 1957 (Doi 10.1038 - Scientificamerican0457-45) Morrison, Philip - The Overthrow of Parity
Scientific American Volume 196 Issue 4 1957 (Doi 10.1038 - Scientificamerican0457-45) Morrison, Philip - The Overthrow of Parity
SCIENTIFIC
AME RI CAN"
April, 1957
Volume 196
Number 4
lS
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11 +
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(7T+) enters at
(p. +) about
e+
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45
TAU PARTICLE
----3>
NUClEUS
THETA PAltTICLE
46
important
word
in
Leibniz's
RIGHTHAND RULE relating the directions of an electric current and its resulting mag
netic field (thumb points with current, fingers point with the north.seeking pole of a test
compass needle) becomes a lefthand rule when the experiment is reflected in a mirror.
In this drawing, the "real" experiment is seen at the left and its mirror image at the right.
positions
in
space never
enter.
(i.e.,
MIRROR REFLECTION of a spinning ball could not be detected if tbe ball ejected par
ticles equally in both directions along its axis. Image at top right looks just like the real
ball turned upside down. Reflection can be detected if there is a preferred direction for
the ejection of particles. Thus the image at bottom cannot be mistaken for the real thing.
47
,.
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,:
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by
mathematical
reasoning
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! T
!:
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tV
(right-handed
or
left
cylinder is the coil which furnishes aligning field. Horizontal tube is a photomultiplier.
48
PUMPING TUBE
FOR VACUUM SPACE
RE-ENTRANT VACUUM
MUTUAL INDUCTANCE
THERMOMETER COilS
ANTHRACEE CRYSTAL
NITRATE CRYSTAL
V ACUUM CHAMBER for cobalt experiment is diagrammed above. The cobalt layer is
deposited on the top of the cerium magnesium nitrate crystal. Anthracene crystal flashes
when electrons strike it. Sodium iodide crystals count gamma rays from the cobalt, and
indicate the degree of alignment. The large finger above the anthracene is a lucite rod
which conducts the light of anthracene scintillations to amplifying and counting system.
49
always conserved.
novel suggestion.
particles.
Yet
the
undownable
question
re
powerful team of laboratory experi-
strangeness:
the
so-called
"tau-theta
challenge.
emission).
!:
Nuclear alignment is
new art, no
: -- :--!---t-----":
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cb
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on
at a time.
it unambiguously failed.
50
tal setup is at center, between the small stepladder and the tall pile
lar frame supported by a brick and a coffee can. To the left of the
51
MAGNETIC SHIELD
CARBON TARGET
o
;. 0
__
-l
I
I
I
I
_________ _
I
I
___ --J
priori self
ELECTRONS
PATH OF MESONS, from accelerator to detector, is shown at top. At bottom is a detailed
diagram of target and detector. Tshaped block stops pi mesons, leaving beam of mu mesons.
These come to rest in carbon target and decay to electrons which are counted in the detector.
>-
1.2
:::J
0
U
Z
0
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fU
::!
L.U
>
>=
:'5
u.J
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.8
tt
!t
IT
It
ZERO
FIELD
-4
-.
.6
-. 6
1.4
Vl
+.2
+.6
ELECTRON COUNTS are plotted on the vertical axis against the strength of the magnetic
field which turns the e1ectronemitting mu mesons. Variation shows asymmetry of emission.
time.
52
MESONS
H!!!!!
TIME
-- LAPSE
. -------------------------
. . ,,",,,
" ,,;:,"""""..
. "........... ....... .........
,'f--+,-T-V
L..
'_-,-/--,,,1
'/ //
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/'
DETECTOR
, ""'
/
/
/
,/'
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'"",,,
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i,
_
- ....
......
'-,
..
...
..
,
""... ..' ...
......
'..
..
... .
...........
"'I
, , ',- I,
"
" "
\,
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"
----------
....
...
.....-. ...._
'''...
\ '.
\ .
MESONS
1111111
TIME
--LAPSE
._
DETECTOR
tron decay into mus, and the mu mesons turn out to have their
coil around the bLock produces a magnetic field which turns the
opposite page. This shows that more eLectrons are emitted along
spinning mll mesons. The field is allowed to act for about as long a
one direction of the mesons' spin axis than in any other direction.
53