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Neutron Lifetime Measurement
Participants:
L. van Buuren,
S. N. Dzhosyuk,
A. Copete,
A. Glenday,
C. E. H. Mattoni,
D. N. McKinsey,
L. Yang, and J. M. Doyle
- Harvard University
P. R. Huffman, A. K. Thompson,
and G. L. Yang - National
Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg
K. J. Coakley
- National Institute of Standards
and Technology, Boulder
R. Golub and E. Korobkina
- Hahn-Meitner-Institut, Berlin
S. K. Lamoreaux -
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Project Description:
We have embarked on an experimental program to substantially improve the measurement of the free neutron beta-decay lifetime. Ultracold neutrons (UCN) are produced by inelastic scattering of a beam of cold (0.89 nm) neutrons in a reservoir of superfluid 4He. Neutrons that scatter to energies below the trap potential are confined magnetically within the helium bath. After a fixed loading time, the neutron beam is turned off and the number of trapped neutrons which decay is recorded as a function of time. Decays are detected by observing the bursts of scintillation light produced when decay products recoil in the helium. The neutron lifetime can therefore be directly determined by measuring the scintillation rate as a function of time. Spurious neutron losses should be controllable to high accuracy.
For a more detailed description of the project, see the overview or check out our list of publications.
