A New World Average Value for the Neutron Lifetime

The analysis of the data on measurements of the neutron lifetime is presented. A new most accurate result of the measurement of neutron lifetime [Phys. Lett. B 605 (2005) 72] 878.5 +/- 0.8 s differs from the world average value [Phys. Lett. B 667 (2008) 1] 885.7 +/- 0.8 s by 6.5 standard deviations. In this connection the analysis and Monte Carlo simulation of experiments [Phys. Lett. B 483 (2000) 15] and [Phys. Rev. Lett. 63 (1989) 593] is carried out. Systematic errors of about -6 s are found in each of the experiments. The summary table for the neutron lifetime measurements after corrections and additions is given. A new world average value for the neutron lifetime 879.9 +/- 0.9 s is presented.Comment: 27 pages, 13 figures; Fig.13 update

Trap with ultracold neutrons as a detector of dark matter particles with long-range forces

The possibility of using a trap with ultracold neutrons as a detector of dark matter particles with long-range forces is considered. The basic advantage of the proposed method lies in possibility of detecting the recoil energy 10-7 eV. The restrictions on parameters of Yukawa type interaction potential between dark matter particles and a neutron are presented for different dark matter densities on the Earth. The assumption concerned with long-range interaction of dark matter particles and ordinary matter leads to a substantial enhancement of cross section at low energy. Consequently, there arises a possibility of capture and accumulation of dark matter in a gravitational field of the Earth. Rough estimation of accumulation of low-energy dark matter on the Earth is discussed. The first experimental restrictions for existence of dark matter with long-range forces on the Earth are presented.Comment: 17 pages, 6 figure

The point spread function of electrons in a magnetic field, and the decay of the free neutron

Experiments in nuclear and particle physics often use magnetic fields to guide charged reaction products to a detector. Due to their gyration in the guide field, the particles hit the detector within an area that can be considerably larger than the diameter of the source where the particles are produced. This blurring of the image of the particle source on the detector surface is described by a suitable point spread function (PSF), which is defined as the image of a point source. We derive simple analytical expressions for such magnetic PSFs, valid for any angular distribution of the emitted particles that can be developed in Legendre polynomials. We investigate this rather general problem in the context of neutron beta decay spectrometers and study the effect of limited detector size on measured neutron decay correlation parameters. To our surprise, insufficient detector size does not affect much the accuracy of such measurements, even for rather large radii of gyration. This finding can considerably simplify the layout of the respective spectrometers.Comment: 24 pages, 12 figure

Brane matter, hidden or mirror matter, their various avatars and mixings: many faces of the same physics

Numerous papers deal with the phenomenology related to photon-hidden photon kinetic mixing and with the effects of a mass mixing on particle-hidden particle oscillations. In addition, recent papers underline the existence of a geometrical mixing between branes which would allow a matter swapping between branes. These approaches and their phenomenologies are reminiscent of each other but rely on different physical concepts. In the present paper, we suggest there is no rivalry between these models, which are probably many faces of the same physics. We discuss some phenomenological consequences of a global framework.Comment: 9 pages. Typo corrected. Published in European Physical Journal

An ultra-cold neutron source at the MLNSC

This is the final report of a three-year, Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) project at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The authors have carried out the research and development of an Ultra-Cold Neutron (UCN) source at the Manuel Lujan Neutron Scattering Center (MLNSC). A first generation source was constructed to test the feasibility of a rotor source. The source performed well with an UCN production rate reasonably consistent with that expected. This source can now provide the basis for further development work directed at using UCN in fundamental physics research as well as possible applications in materials science

A Bitter Pill: The Primordial Lithium Problem Worsens

The lithium problem arises from the significant discrepancy between the primordial 7Li abundance as predicted by BBN theory and the WMAP baryon density, and the pre-Galactic lithium abundance inferred from observations of metal-poor (Population II) stars. This problem has loomed for the past decade, with a persistent discrepancy of a factor of 2--3 in 7Li/H. Recent developments have sharpened all aspects of the Li problem. Namely: (1) BBN theory predictions have sharpened due to new nuclear data, particularly the uncertainty on 3He(alpha,gamma)7Be, has reduced to 7.4%, and with a central value shift of ~ +0.04 keV barn. (2) The WMAP 5-year data now yields a cosmic baryon density with an uncertainty reduced to 2.7%. (3) Observations of metal-poor stars have tested for systematic effects, and have reaped new lithium isotopic data. With these, we now find that the BBN+WMAP predicts 7Li/H = (5.24+0.71-0.67) 10^{-10}. The Li problem remains and indeed is exacerbated; the discrepancy is now a factor 2.4--4.3 or 4.2sigma (from globular cluster stars) to 5.3sigma (from halo field stars). Possible resolutions to the lithium problem are briefly reviewed, and key nuclear, particle, and astronomical measurements highlighted.Comment: 21 pages, 4 figures. Comments welcom

More about neutron - mirror neutron oscillation

It was pointed out recently that oscillation of the neutron $n$ into mirror neutron $n'$, a sterile twin of the neutron with exactly the same mass, could be a very fast process with the the baryon number violation, even faster than the neutron decay itself. This process is sensitive to the magnetic fields and it could be observed by comparing the neutron lose rates in the UCN storage chambers for different magnetic backgrounds. We calculate the probability of $n-n'$ oscillation in the case when a mirror magnetic field $\vec{B}'$ is non-zero and show that in this case it can be suppressed or resonantly enhanced by applying the ordinary magnetic field $\vec{B}$, depending on its strength and on its orientation with respect to $\vec{B}'$. The recent experimental data, under this hypothesis, still allow the $n-n'$ oscillation time order 1 s or even smaller. Moreover, they indicate that the neutron losses are sensitive to the orientation of the magnetic field. %at about $3\sigma$ level. If these hints will be confirmed in the future experiments, this would point to the presence of the mirror magnetic field on the Earth of the order of 0.1 G, or some equivalent spin-dependent force of the other origin that makes a difference between the neutron and mirror neutron states.Comment: 10 page