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Register a new userUsing Nab to determine correlations in unpolarized neutron decay
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The Nab experiment will measure the ratio of the weak axial-vector and vector coupling constants $lambda=g_A/g_V$ with precision $deltalambda/lambdasim3times10^{-4}$ and search for a Fierz term $b_F$ at a level $Delta b_F<10^{-3}$. The Nab detection system uses thick, large area, segmented silicon detectors to very precisely determine the decay protons time of flight and the decay electrons energy in coincidence and reconstruct the correlation between the antineutrino and electron momenta. Excellent understanding of systematic effects affecting timing and energy reconstruction using this detection system are required. To explore these effects, a series of ex situ studies have been undertaken, including a search for a Fierz term at a less sensitive level of $Delta b_F<10^{-2}$ in the beta decay of $^{45}$Ca using the UCNA spectrometer.
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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, $lambda = g_A / g_V$, through multiple decay correlations. The Nab experiment will carry out measurements of the electron-neutrino correlation parameter $a$ with a precision of $delta a / a = 10^{-3}$ and the Fierz interference term $b$ to $delta b = 3times10^{-3}$ 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 $lambda$ with a precision of $delta lambda / lambda = 0.03%$ that will allow an evaluation of $V_{ud}$ 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.
Precision measurements in neutron beta decay serve to determine the coupling constants of beta decay and allow for several stringent tests of the standard model. This paper discusses the design and the expected performance of the Nab spectrometer.
To measure the main characteristics of radiative neutron decay, namely its relative intensity BR (branching ratio), it is necessary to measure the spectra of double coincidences between beta-electron and proton as well as the spectra of triple coincidences of electron, proton and radiative gamma-quantum. Analysis of double coincidences spectra requires one to distinguish events of ordinary neutron beta decay from the background; analysis of triple coincidences relies on distinguishing radiative neutron decay from background events. As demonstrated in our first experiment, these spectra presented a heterogeneous background that included response peaks related to the registration of electrons and protons by our electronic detection system. The NIST experimental group (emiT group) observed an analogous pattern on the spectrum of double coincidences. The current report is dedicated to the analysis of this heterogeneous background. In particular, this report demonstrates that the use of response function methodology allows to clearly identify radiative neutron decay events and to distinguish them from the background. This methodology enabled us to become the first team to measure the relative intensity of radiative neutron decay B.R.= (3.2+-1.6)*10-3 (where C.L.=99.7% and gamma quanta energy exceeds 35 kev). In addition, the review emphasizes that the background events on the spectrum of double coincidences are caused by ion registration, and demonstrates that one cannot ignore the ionic background, which is why experiment registered the ions and not recoil protons.
The puzzle remains in the large discrepancy between neutron lifetime measured by the two distinct experimental approaches -- counts of beta decays in a neutron beam and storage of ultracold neutrons in a potential trap, namely, the beam method versus the bottle method. In this paper, we propose a new experiment to measure the neutron lifetime in a cold neutron beam with a sensitivity goal of 0.1% or sub-1 second. The neutron beta decays will be counted in a superfluid helium-4 scintillation detector at 0.5 K, and the neutron flux will be simultaneously monitored by the helium-3 captures in the same volume. The cold neutron beam must be of wavelength $lambda>16.5$ A to eliminate scattering with superfluid helium. A new precise measurement of neutron lifetime with the beam method of unique inherent systematic effects will greatly advance in resolving the puzzle.
The aCORN experiment uses a novel asymmetry method to measure the electron-antineutrino correlation (a-coefficient) in free neutron decay that does not require precision proton spectroscopy. aCORN completed two physics runs at the NIST Center for Neutron Research. The first run on the NG-6 beam line in 2013--2014 obtained the result a = 0.1090 +/- 0.0030 (stat) +/- 0.0028 (sys), a total uncertainty of 3.8%. The second run on the new NG-C high flux beam line promises an improvement in precision to <2%.
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