11 research outputs found
Long-Time Correlations in Single-Neutron Interferometry Data
We present a detailed analysis of the time series of time-stamped neutron
counts obtained by single-neutron interferometry. The neutron counting
statistics display the usual Poissonian behavior, but the variance of the
neutron counts does not. Instead, the variance is found to exhibit a dependence
on the phase-shifter setting which can be explained by a probabilistic model
that accounts for fluctuations of the phase shift. The time series of the
detection events exhibit long-time correlations with amplitudes that also
depend on the phase-shifter setting. These correlations appear as damped
oscillations with a period of about 2.8 s. By simulation, we show that the
correlations of the time differences observed in the experiment can be
reproduced by assuming that, for a fixed setting of the phase shifter, the
phase shift experienced by the neutrons varies periodically in time with a
period of 2.8 s. The same simulations also reproduce the behavior of the
variance. Our analysis of the experimental data suggests that time-stamped data
of singleparticle interference experiments may exhibit transient features that
require a description in terms of non-stationary processes, going beyond the
standard quantum model of independent random events
Improvement of the polarized neutron interferometer setup demonstrating violation of a Bell-like inequality
AbstractFor precise measurements with polarised neutrons high efficient spin-manipulation is required. We developed several neutron optical elements suitable for a new sophisticated setup, i.e., DC spin-turners and Larmor-accelerators which diminish thermal disturbances and depolarisation considerably. The gain in performance is exploited demonstrating violation of a Bell-like inequality for a spin-path entangled single-neutron state. The obtained value of S=2.365(13), which is much higher than previous measurements by neutron interferometry, is 28σ above the limit of S=2 predicted by contextual hidden variable theories. The new setup is more flexible referring to state preparation and analysis, therefore new, more precise measurements can be carried out