06 Muon Paradox
Today, I would like to talk about the muon paradox. There are several subatomic particles that are smaller than atoms, such as a μ-meson. It is called a μ-meson, but it is abbreviated to muon. The lifetime of this muon is fixed. The proper lifetime of this particle is 2.2 μsec. It only survives for a very short moment, and then it collapses into other particles. Cosmic-rays are constantly coming out of space due to the explosion of stars in the universe or the nuclear fusion reaction of the sun. At this time, the cosmic-ray and the earth's atmosphere react to create a muon. Muon's speed is near the speed of light when it falls to Earth. It drops at a rate of about 0.998c. However, even if it falls so fast, it cannot reach the ground because its life is short. If the muon has a lifetime of 2.2 μ sec and a speed of 0.998 c, the muon can run about 650 m from the point where it was created. The point where the usual muon occurs is about 10km above sea le...