A compact apparatus for muon lifetime measurement and time dilation demonstration in the undergraduate laboratory

@article{Coan2006ACA,
  title={A compact apparatus for muon lifetime measurement and time dilation demonstration in the undergraduate laboratory},
  author={Thomas Coan and Tiankuan Liu and Jingbo Ye},
  journal={American Journal of Physics},
  year={2006},
  volume={74},
  pages={161-164}
}
We describe a compact apparatus for measuring the charge-averaged lifetime of atmospheric muons in plastic scintillator using low-cost, low-power electronics. We present measurements of the stopping rate of atmospheric muons as a function of altitude to demonstrate relativistic time dilation. The apparatus is designed for the advanced undergraduate physics laboratory and is suitable for field measurements. 
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