Mesonic Atoms: Radiative Yields of theμ-MesonKandLSeries and the Effect of Meson Capture in Chemical Compounds

The radiative yields of the $K$ and $L$ series of $\mu$-mesonic atoms have been measured for the elements ${}_3{}^{}{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{Li}$ through ${}_{19}{}^{}{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{K}$. In the low-$Z$ region both yield curves exhibit a rapid decrease in yield with decreasing $Z$. This behavior is attributed to competition between Auger and radiative transitions. However, if this is true, the Auger transition probabilities would have to be about 300 times larger than the calculated values for the $\mu -K$ yields, and about 30 times larger for the $\mu -L$ yields.