Probing Dark Energy models with neutrons

There is a deep connection between cosmology -- the science of the infinitely large --and particle physics -- the science of the infinitely small. This connection is particularly manifest in neutron particle physics. Basic properties of the neutron -- its Electric Dipole Moment and its lifetime -- are intertwined with baryogenesis and nucleosynthesis in the early Universe. I will cover this topic in the first part, that will also serve as an introduction (or rather a quick recap) of neutron physics and Big Bang cosmology. Then, the rest of the manuscript will be devoted to a new idea: using neutrons to probe models of Dark Energy. In the second part, I will present the chameleon theory: a light scalar field accounting for the late accelerated expansion of the Universe, which interacts with matter in such a way that it does not mediate a fifth force between macroscopic bodies. However, neutrons can alleviate the chameleon mechanism and reveal the presence of the scalar field with properly designed experiments. In the third part, I will describe a recent experiment performed with a neutron interferometer at the Institut Laue Langevin that sets already interesting constraints on the chameleon theory. Last, the chameleon field can be probed by measuring the quantum states of neutrons bouncing over a mirror. In the fourth part I will present the status and prospects of the GRANIT experiment at the ILL

Anomalous radiative transitions

Anomalous transitions involving photons derived by many-body interaction of the form, $\partial_{\mu} G^{\mu}$, in the standard model are studied. This does not affect the equation of motion in the bulk, but makes wave functions modified, and causes the unusual transition characterized by the time-independent probability. In the transition probability at a time-interval $T$ expressed generally in the form $P=T \Gamma_0 +P^{(d)}$, now with $P^{(d)} \neq 0$. The diffractive term $P^{(d)}$ has the origin in the overlap of waves of the initial and final states, and reveals the characteristics of waves. In particular, the processes of the neutrino-photon interaction ordinarily forbidden by Landau-Yang's theorem ($\Gamma_0=0$) manifests itself through the boundary interaction. The new term leads to physical processes over a wide energy range to have finite probabilities. New methods of detecting neutrinos using laser are proposed that are based on this difractive term, which enhance the detectability of neutrinos by many orders of magnitude.Comment: 47 pages, 5 figures, 1 table, typos correcte

Plasma Dynamics

Contains reports on six research projects.National Science Foundation (Grant ENG79-07047)U.S. Air Force - Office of Scientific Research (Grant AFOSR77-3143D)U.S. Air Force - Office of Scientific Research (Contract AFOSR82-0063)U.S. Department of Energy (Contract DE-ACO2-78-ET-51013)U.S. Department of Energy (Contract DE-AC02-78ET-53073.A002

Summary and recommendations on nuclear electric propulsion technology for the space exploration initiative

A project in Nuclear Electric Propulsion (NEP) technology is being established to develop the NEP technologies needed for advanced propulsion systems. A paced approach has been suggested which calls for progressive development of NEP component and subsystem level technologies. This approach will lead to major facility testing to achieve TRL-5 for megawatt NEP for SEI mission applications. This approach is designed to validate NEP power and propulsion technologies from kilowatt class to megawatt class ratings. Such a paced approach would have the benefit of achieving the development, testing, and flight of NEP systems in an evolutionary manner. This approach may also have the additional benefit of synergistic application with SEI extraterrestrial surface nuclear power applications

Industrial scale microwave applicator for high temperature alkaline hydrolysis of PET

A microwave design for an industrial scale applicator of a continuous microwave assisted depolymerization of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) has been developed. The cavity is designed for use in combination with an Archimedean screw pump to transport the reaction material, surrounded by a cylindrical pipe with a diameter of 250 mm and a length of 250 mm at the 2.45 GHz ISM band. The proposed design is modular and can be easily expanded for the heating of longer reactor tubes. Simulation results show that a homogeneous heating of the process material along the screw axis can be achieved by using a novel cavity design which is based on the TE1,0,x– rectangular waveguide cavity mode. The achieved design provides high energy efficiency with a reflected power of less than 10%. It is robust against changes in the permittivity of the reactants. The electromagnetic design is based on the dielectric properties of the solvolytic reaction mixture measured in the relevant temperature range. It is verified over the full range of the expected permittivities

Bright single-photon sources in bottom-up tailored nanowires

The ability to achieve near-unity light extraction efficiency is necessary for a truly deterministic single photon source. The most promising method to reach such high efficiencies is based on embedding single photon emitters in tapered photonic waveguides defined by top-down etching techniques. However, light extraction efficiencies in current top-down approaches are limited by fabrication imperfections and etching induced defects. The efficiency is further tempered by randomly positioned off-axis quantum emitters. Here, we present perfectly positioned single quantum dots on the axis of a tailored nanowire waveguide using bottom-up growth. In comparison to quantum dots in nanowires without waveguide, we demonstrate a 24-fold enhancement in the single photon flux, corresponding to a light extraction efficiency of 42 %. Such high efficiencies in one-dimensional nanowires are promising to transfer quantum information over large distances between remote stationary qubits using flying qubits within the same nanowire p-n junction.Comment: 19 pages, 6 figure