Energy spectra of light charged particles emitted following muon nuclear capture on $^\mathrm{nat}$Si

Abstract

Background: Charged-particle emission following muon nuclear capture (muNC) probes the de-excitation dynamics of highly excited nuclei, particularly the interplay between preequilibrium and evaporation processes. While proton emission has been relatively well studied, data on composite charged particles remain limited, especially for low-energy alpha particles. Purpose: This work aims to measure energy spectra for individual charged-particle species following muNC on silicon and constrain theoretical descriptions of preequilibrium, evaporation, and composite-particle emission. Method: An experiment was performed at the RIKEN-RAL Muon Facility. Charged particles were identified using Delta E-E telescopes and digital pulse-shape analysis with nTD-Si detectors. Initial energy spectra were reconstructed by unfolding and compared with the microscopic and evaporation model (MEM) and PHITS calculations incorporating the surface coalescence model and meson-exchange-current extension. Results: Energy spectra of protons, deuterons, tritons, and alpha particles were extracted over a broad energy range, including the first measurement of the low-energy alpha-particle spectrum. MEM more closely reproduces the proton, deuteron, and triton spectral shapes and describes the low-energy alpha-particle spectrum well. PHITS reproduces the overall slope of the alpha-particle spectrum but exhibits particle-dependent discrepancies in absolute yields, including an overestimation of the evaporation component for all four species. Conclusion: The results demonstrate particle-species-dependent differences in charged-particle emission following muNC. These spectra constrain descriptions of preequilibrium and evaporation processes and highlight the need for improved modeling of composite-particle emission.