66 research outputs found
Singlet Deuteron, Dineutron and Neutral Nuclei
The existence of the dineutron was predicted over 70 years ago. At present, a
number of experimental works confirm this assumption. By virtue of the
principle of isotopic invariance, a singlet deuteron must also exist. The
possibility of describing the neutron-proton interaction in the state at low
energies as the excitation of a quasi-stationary level (singlet deuteron) lying
below the deuteron decay threshold is discussed. The position, neutron and
radiative widths of the level are determined by the scattering length, the
effective radius, and the cross section for the radiative capture of neutrons
by protons. Experiments to search for this level are discussed. The discovery
of the singlet deuteron would be confirmation of the existence of the
dineutron
Precision Measurement of the n-3He Incoherent Scattering Length Using Neutron Interferometry
We report the first measurement of the low-energy neutron-He incoherent
scattering length using neutron interferometry: fm. This is in good agreement with a
recent calculation using the AV18+3N potential. The neutron-He scattering
lengths are important for testing and developing nuclear potential models that
include three nucleon forces, effective field theories for few-body nuclear
systems, and neutron scattering measurements of quantum excitations in liquid
helium. This work demonstrates the first use of a polarized nuclear target in a
neutron interferometer.Comment: 4 figure
Precision neutron interferometric measurements of the n-p, n-d, and n-3He zero-energy coherent neutron scattering amplitudes
We have performed high precision measurements of the zero-energy neutron
scattering amplitudes of gas phase molecular hydrogen, deuterium, and He
using neutron interferometry. We find
fm\cite{Schoen03},
fm\cite{Black03,Schoen03}, and
fm\cite{Huffman04}. When combined with the previous world data, properly
corrected for small multiple scattering, radiative corrections, and local field
effects from the theory of neutron optics and combined by the prescriptions of
the Particle Data Group, the zero-energy scattering amplitudes are:
fm, fm, and fm. The precision of
these measurements is now high enough to severely constrain NN few-body models.
The n-d and n-He coherent neutron scattering amplitudes are both now in
disagreement with the best current theories. The new values can be used as
input for precision calculations of few body processes. This precision data is
sensitive to small effects such as nuclear three-body forces, charge-symmetry
breaking in the strong interaction, and residual electromagnetic effects not
yet fully included in current models.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Physica B as part of the Festschrift
honouring Samuel A. Werner at the International Conference on Neutron
Scattering 200
Compilation and R-matrix analysis of Big Bang nuclear reaction rates
We use the R-matrix theory to fit low-energy data on nuclear reactions
involved in Big Bang nucleosynthesis. A special attention is paid to the rate
uncertainties which are evaluated on statistical grounds. We provide S factors
and reaction rates in tabular and graphical formats.Comment: 40 pages, accepted for publication at ADNDT, web site at
http://pntpm3.ulb.ac.be/bigban
Nuclear Reaction Network for Primordial Nucleosynthesis: a detailed analysis of rates, uncertainties and light nuclei yields
We analyze in details the standard Primordial Nucleosynthesis scenario. In
particular we discuss the key theoretical issues which are involved in a
detailed prediction of light nuclide abundances, as the weak reaction rates,
neutrino decoupling and nuclear rate modeling. We also perform a new analysis
of available data on the main nuclear processes entering the nucleosynthesis
reaction network, with particular stress on their uncertainties as well as on
their role in determining the corresponding uncertainties on light nuclide
theoretical estimates. The current status of theoretical versus experimental
results for 2H, 3He, 4He and 7Li is then discussed using the determination of
the baryon density as obtained from Cosmic Microwave Background anisotropies.Comment: LaTeX, 83 pages, 30 .pdf figures. Some typos in the units of
R-functions in appendix D and relative plots fixe
Primordial Nucleosynthesis for the New Cosmology: Determining Uncertainties and Examining Concordance
Big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) and the cosmic microwave background (CMB) have
a long history together in the standard cosmology. The general concordance
between the predicted and observed light element abundances provides a direct
probe of the universal baryon density. Recent CMB anisotropy measurements,
particularly the observations performed by the WMAP satellite, examine this
concordance by independently measuring the cosmic baryon density. Key to this
test of concordance is a quantitative understanding of the uncertainties in the
BBN light element abundance predictions. These uncertainties are dominated by
systematic errors in nuclear cross sections. We critically analyze the cross
section data, producing representations that describe this data and its
uncertainties, taking into account the correlations among data, and explicitly
treating the systematic errors between data sets. Using these updated nuclear
inputs, we compute the new BBN abundance predictions, and quantitatively
examine their concordance with observations. Depending on what deuterium
observations are adopted, one gets the following constraints on the baryon
density: OmegaBh^2=0.0229\pm0.0013 or OmegaBh^2 = 0.0216^{+0.0020}_{-0.0021} at
68% confidence, fixing N_{\nu,eff}=3.0. Concerns over systematics in helium and
lithium observations limit the confidence constraints based on this data
provide. With new nuclear cross section data, light element abundance
observations and the ever increasing resolution of the CMB anisotropy, tighter
constraints can be placed on nuclear and particle astrophysics. ABRIDGEDComment: 54 pages, 20 figures, 5 tables v2: reflects PRD version minor changes
to text and reference
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