  Since its discovery in the 1930s, the muon has played an important role in
our quest to understand the sub-atomic theory of matter. The muon was the first
second-generation standard-model particle to be discovered, and its decay has
provided information on the (Vector -Axial Vector) structure of the weak
interaction, the strength of the weak interaction, G_F, and the conservation of
lepton number (flavor) in muon decay. The muon's anomalous magnetic moment has
played an important role in restricting theories of physics beyond the standard
standard model, where at present there is a 3.4 standard-deviation difference
between the experiment and standard-model theory. Its capture on the atomic
nucleus has provided valuable information on the modification of the weak
current by the strong interaction which is complementary to that obtained from
nuclear beta decay.
