Radiative muon capture and the value of gP in nuclei

Abstract Radiative muon capture by nuclei is analyzed by means of sum rule techniques, providing a total photon yield calculated with RPA precision. The measured yields relative to the ordinary muon capture rate are well reproduced for the nuclei 12C, 16O and 40Ca using a value of the pseudoscalar weak coupling constant gP enhanced by only 25% with respect to its canonical value. Therefore, the large renormalization of gP claimed up to now must be reconsidered.