Atomic Beam Studies of Indium 117m

Abstract

<p> The atomic beam magnetic resonance technique with radioactive detection has been used to investigate the hyperfine structure of In^117m. The present research is based on the work done by Cameron (1962) who could not obtain accurate values for the hyperfine interaction constants due to the low neutron flux at the time in the McMaster reactor.</p> <p> This thesis is an account of an attempt to complete that experiment by observing the field independent direct hyperfine transitions. The theory of the experiment, the apparatus and techniques, and the method of data analysis are described. Because of the counting errors, the data are not as conclusive as had been hoped. If the resonances have, in fact, been seen, then the results are: a1/2 = -932.996 ± 0.012 Mc/sec a3/2 = -99.005 ± 0.005 Mc/sec μI = -0.25146 ± 0.00003 nuclear magnetons.</p>