A precise measurement of 180 GeV muon energy losses in iron

The energy loss spectrum of 180 GeV muons has been measured with the 5.6 m long finely segmented Module 0 of the ATLAS hadron tile calorimeter at the CERN SPS. The differential probability dP/d nu per radiation length of a fractional energy loss nu = Delta E/sub mu //E /sub mu / has been measured in the range 0.025 or= nu or=0.97; it is compared with theoretical predictions for energy losses due to bremsstrahlung, production of electron-positron pairs, and energetic knock-on electrons. The iron elastic form factor correction Delta /sub Fe//sup el/=1.63+or-0.17/sub stat/+or-023/sub syst$/ -/sub 0.14 //sup +0.20//sub theor/ to muon bremsstrahlung in the region of no screening of the nucleus by atomic electrons has been measured for the first time, and is compared with different theoretical predictions. (31 refs).