136 research outputs found
Search for the Neutron Decay n X+ where X is a dark matter particle
In a recent paper submitted to Physical Review Letters, Fornal and Grinstein
have suggested that the discrepancy between two different methods of neutron
lifetime measurements, the beam and bottle methods can be explained by a
previously unobserved dark matter decay mode, n X+ where X
is a dark matter particle. We have performed a search for this decay mode over
the allowed range of energies of the monoenergetic gamma ray for X to be a dark
matter particle. We exclude the possibility of a sufficiently strong branch to
explain the lifetime discrepancy with greater than 4 sigma confidence.Comment: 6 pages 3 figure
A boron-coated CCD camera for direct detection of Ultracold Neutrons (UCN)
A new boron-coated CCD camera is described for direct detection of ultracold
neutrons (UCN) through the capture reactions B
(n,0)Li (6%) and B(n,1)Li (94%).
The experiments, which extend earlier works using a boron-coated ZnS:Ag
scintillator, are based on direct detections of the neutron-capture byproducts
in silicon. The high position resolution, energy resolution and particle ID
performance of a scientific CCD allows for observation and identification of
all the byproducts , Li and (electron recoils). A
signal-to-noise improvement on the order of 10 over the indirect method has
been achieved. Sub-pixel position resolution of a few microns is demonstrated.
The technology can also be used to build UCN detectors with an area on the
order of 1 m. The combination of micrometer scale spatial resolution, few
electrons ionization thresholds and large area paves the way to new research
avenues including quantum physics of UCN and high-resolution neutron imaging
and spectroscopy.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figure
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
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
The Nab Experiment: A Precision Measurement of Unpolarized Neutron Beta Decay
Neutron beta decay is one of the most fundamental processes in nuclear
physics and provides sensitive means to uncover the details of the weak
interaction. Neutron beta decay can evaluate the ratio of axial-vector to
vector coupling constants in the standard model, , through
multiple decay correlations. The Nab experiment will carry out measurements of
the electron-neutrino correlation parameter with a precision of and the Fierz interference term to
in unpolarized free neutron beta decay. These results, along with a more
precise measurement of the neutron lifetime, aim to deliver an independent
determination of the ratio with a precision of that will allow an evaluation of and sensitively
test CKM unitarity, independent of nuclear models. Nab utilizes a novel, long
asymmetric spectrometer that guides the decay electron and proton to two large
area silicon detectors in order to precisely determine the electron energy and
an estimation of the proton momentum from the proton time of flight. The Nab
spectrometer is being commissioned at the Fundamental Neutron Physics Beamline
at the Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Lab. We present an
overview of the Nab experiment and recent updates on the spectrometer,
analysis, and systematic effects.Comment: Presented at PPNS201
Final results for the neutron β-asymmetry parameter A₀ from the UCNA experiment
The UCNA experiment was designed to measure the neutron β-asymmetry parameter A0 using polarized ultracold neutrons (UCN). UCN produced via downscattering in solid deuterium were polarized via transport through a 7 T magnetic field, and then directed to a 1 T solenoidal electron spectrometer, where the decay electrons were detected in electron detector packages located on the two ends of the spectrometer. A value for A0 was then extracted from the asymmetry in the numbers of counts in the two detector packages. We summarize all of the results from the UCNA experiment, obtained during run periods in 2007, 2008–2009, 2010, and 2011–2013, which ultimately culminated in a 0.67% precision result for A₀
Search for the Neutron Decay n → X + γ, Where X is a Dark Matter Particle
Fornal and Grinstein recently proposed that the discrepancy between two different methods of neutron lifetime measurements, the beam and bottle methods, can be explained by a previously unobserved dark matter decay mode, n → X + γ. We perform a search for this decay mode over the allowed range of energies of the monoenergetic γray for X to be dark matter. A Compton-suppressed high-purity germanium detector is used to identify γrays from neutron decay in a nickel-phosphorous-coated stainless-steel bottle. A combination of Monte Carlo and radioactive source calibrations is used to determine the absolute efficiency for detecting γ rays arising from the dark matter decay mode. We exclude the possibility of a sufficiently strong branch to explain the lifetime discrepancy with 97% confidence
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