194 research outputs found
Recoil-Order and Radiative Corrections to the aCORN Experiment
The aCORN experiment measures the electron-antineutrino -coefficient in
free neutron decay. We update the previous aCORN results to include radiative
and recoil corrections to first order. The corrected combined result is
, an increase in magnitude of 0.7 % compared to the overall relative
standard uncertainty of 1.7 %, which is unchanged. The corresponding corrected
result for the ratio of weak coupling constants is . This improves agreement with previous -coefficient
experiments, in particular the 2020 aSPECT result
A Current Mode Detector Array for Gamma-Ray Asymmetry Measurements
We have built a CsI(Tl) gamma-ray detector array for the NPDGamma experiment
to search for a small parity-violating directional asymmetry in the angular
distribution of 2.2 MeV gamma-rays from the capture of polarized cold neutrons
by protons with a sensitivity of several ppb. The weak pion-nucleon coupling
constant can be determined from this asymmetry. The small size of the asymmetry
requires a high cold neutron flux, control of systematic errors at the ppb
level, and the use of current mode gamma-ray detection with vacuum photo diodes
and low-noise solid-state preamplifiers. The average detector photoelectron
yield was determined to be 1300 photoelectrons per MeV. The RMS width seen in
the measurement is therefore dominated by the fluctuations in the number of
gamma rays absorbed in the detector (counting statistics) rather than the
intrinsic detector noise. The detectors were tested for noise performance,
sensitivity to magnetic fields, pedestal stability and cosmic background. False
asymmetries due to gain changes and electronic pickup in the detector system
were measured to be consistent with zero to an accuracy of in a few
hours. We report on the design, operating criteria, and the results of
measurements performed to test the detector array.Comment: 33 pages, 20 figures, 2 table
Observation of a large parity nonconserving analyzing power in Xe
A large parity nonconserving longitudinal analyzing power was discovered in polarized-neutron transmission through Xe. An analyzing power of 4.3±0.2% was observed in a p-wave resonance at En=3.2 eV. The measurement was performed with a liquid Xe target of natural isotopic abundance that was placed in the polarized epithermal neutron beam, flight path 2, at the Manuel Lujan Neutron Science Center. This apparatus was constructed by the TRIPLE Collaboration, and has been used for studies of parity symmetry in compound nuclear resonances. Part of the motivation of the experiment was to discover a nucleus appropriate for a sensitive test of time-reversal invariance in polarized-neutron transmission. The large analyzing power of the observed resonance may make it possible to design a test of time reversal invariance using a polarized-Xe target
Status of the UCNÏ„ experiment
The neutron is the simplest nuclear system that can be used to probe the structure of the weak interaction and search for physics beyond the standard model. Measurements of neutron lifetime and β-decay correlation coefficients with precisions of 0.02% and 0.1%, respectively, would allow for stringent constraints on new physics. The UCNτ experiment uses an asymmetric magneto-gravitational UCN trap with in situ counting of surviving neutrons to measure the neutron lifetime, τ_n = 877.7s (0.7s)_(stat) (+0.4/−0.2s)_(sys). We discuss the recent result from UCNτ, the status of ongoing data collection and analysis, and the path toward a 0.25 s measurement of the neutron lifetime with UCNτ
Measurement of the neutron lifetime using an asymmetric magneto- gravitational trap and in situ detection
The precise value of the mean neutron lifetime, , plays an important
role in nuclear and particle physics and cosmology. It is a key input for
predicting the ratio of protons to helium atoms in the primordial universe and
is used to search for new physics beyond the Standard Model of particle
physics. There is a 3.9 standard deviation discrepancy between
measured by counting the decay rate of free neutrons in a beam (887.7 2.2
s) and by counting surviving ultracold neutrons stored for different storage
times in a material trap (878.50.8 s). The experiment described here
eliminates loss mechanisms present in previous trap experiments by levitating
polarized ultracold neutrons above the surface of an asymmetric storage trap
using a repulsive magnetic field gradient so that the stored neutrons do not
interact with material trap walls and neutrons in quasi-stable orbits rapidly
exit the trap. As a result of this approach and the use of a new in situ
neutron detector, the lifetime reported here (877.7 0.7 (stat) +0.4/-0.2
(sys) s) is the first modern measurement of that does not require
corrections larger than the quoted uncertainties.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, 2 table
Monte Carlo of Trapped Ultracold Neutrons in the UCNÏ„ Trap
In the UCNτ experiment, ultracold neutrons (UCN) are confined by magnetic fields and the Earth’s gravitational field. Field-trapping mitigates the problem of UCN loss on material surfaces, which caused the largest correction in prior neutron experiments using material bottles. However, the neutron dynamics in field traps differ qualitatively from those in material bottles. In the latter case, neutrons bounce off material surfaces with significant diffusivity and the population quickly reaches a static spatial distribution with a density gradient induced by the gravitational potential. In contrast, the field-confined UCN—whose dynamics can be described by Hamiltonian mechanics—do not exhibit the stochastic behaviors typical of an ideal gas model as observed in material bottles. In this report, we will describe our efforts to simulate UCN trapping in the UCNτ magneto-gravitational trap. We compare the simulation output to the experimental results to determine the parameters of the neutron detector and the input neutron distribution. The tuned model is then used to understand the phase space evolution of neutrons observed in the UCNτ experiment. We will discuss the implications of chaotic dynamics on controlling the systematic effects, such as spectral cleaning and microphonic heating, for a successful UCN lifetime experiment to reach a 0.01% level of precision
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