First direct constraints on Fierz interference in free-neutron β decay

UCNA Collaboration

doi:10.1103/PhysRevC.96.042501

First direct constraints on Fierz interference in free-neutron β decay

UCNA Collaboration

Neutron Symmetries

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

17 Scopus citations

Abstract

Precision measurements of free-neutron β decay have been used to precisely constrain our understanding of the weak interaction. However, the neutron Fierz interference term bn, which is particularly sensitive to beyond-standard-model tensor currents at the TeV scale, has thus far eluded measurement. Here we report the first direct constraints on this term, finding bn=0.067±0.005stat-0.061+0.090sys, consistent with the standard model. The uncertainty is dominated by absolute energy reconstruction and the linearity of the β spectrometer energy response.

Original language	English
Article number	042501
Journal	Physical Review C
Volume	96
Issue number	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.96.042501
State	Published - Oct 30 2017

Funding

This work is supported in part by the US Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Physics (DE-FG02-08ER41557, DE-SC0014622, DE-FG02-97ER41042) and the National Science Foundation (Grants No. NSF-0653222, No. NSF-0700491, No. NSF-0855538, No. NSF-1002814, No. NSF-1005233, No. NSF-1205977, No. NSF-1306997, No. NSF-1307426, No. 1506459, and No. NSF-1615153). We gratefully acknowledge the support of the LDRD program (20110043DR), and the LANSCE and AOT divisions of the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

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10.1103/PhysRevC.96.042501

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title = "First direct constraints on Fierz interference in free-neutron β decay",

abstract = "Precision measurements of free-neutron β decay have been used to precisely constrain our understanding of the weak interaction. However, the neutron Fierz interference term bn, which is particularly sensitive to beyond-standard-model tensor currents at the TeV scale, has thus far eluded measurement. Here we report the first direct constraints on this term, finding bn=0.067±0.005stat-0.061+0.090sys, consistent with the standard model. The uncertainty is dominated by absolute energy reconstruction and the linearity of the β spectrometer energy response.",

author = "\{UCNA Collaboration\} and Hickerson, \{K. P.\} and X. Sun and Y. Bagdasarova and D. Bravo-Bergu{\~n}o and Broussard, \{L. J.\} and Brown, \{M. A.P.\} and R. Carr and S. Currie and X. Ding and Filippone, \{B. W.\} and A. Garc{\'i}a and P. Geltenbort and J. Hoagland and Holley, \{A. T.\} and R. Hong and Ito, \{T. M.\} and A. Knecht and Liu, \{C. Y.\} and Liu, \{J. L.\} and M. Makela and Mammei, \{R. R.\} and Martin, \{J. W.\} and D. Melconian and Mendenhall, \{M. P.\} and Moore, \{S. D.\} and Morris, \{C. L.\} and Pattie, \{R. W.\} and \{P{\'e}rez Galv{\'a}n\}, A. and R. Picker and Pitt, \{M. L.\} and B. Plaster and Ramsey, \{J. C.\} and R. Rios and A. Saunders and Seestrom, \{S. J.\} and Sharapov, \{E. I.\} and Sondheim, \{W. E.\} and E. Tatar and Vogelaar, \{R. B.\} and B. Vorndick and C. Wrede and Young, \{A. R.\} and Zeck, \{B. A.\}",

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doi = "10.1103/PhysRevC.96.042501",

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AU - Hickerson, K. P.

AU - Sun, X.

AU - Bagdasarova, Y.

AU - Bravo-Berguño, D.

AU - Broussard, L. J.

AU - Brown, M. A.P.

AU - Carr, R.

AU - Currie, S.

AU - Ding, X.

AU - Filippone, B. W.

AU - García, A.

AU - Geltenbort, P.

AU - Hoagland, J.

AU - Holley, A. T.

AU - Hong, R.

AU - Ito, T. M.

AU - Knecht, A.

AU - Liu, C. Y.

AU - Liu, J. L.

AU - Makela, M.

AU - Mammei, R. R.

AU - Martin, J. W.

AU - Melconian, D.

AU - Mendenhall, M. P.

AU - Moore, S. D.

AU - Morris, C. L.

AU - Pattie, R. W.

AU - Pérez Galván, A.

AU - Picker, R.

AU - Pitt, M. L.

AU - Plaster, B.

AU - Ramsey, J. C.

AU - Rios, R.

AU - Saunders, A.

AU - Seestrom, S. J.

AU - Sharapov, E. I.

AU - Sondheim, W. E.

AU - Tatar, E.

AU - Vogelaar, R. B.

AU - Vorndick, B.

AU - Wrede, C.

AU - Young, A. R.

AU - Zeck, B. A.

PY - 2017/10/30

Y1 - 2017/10/30

N2 - Precision measurements of free-neutron β decay have been used to precisely constrain our understanding of the weak interaction. However, the neutron Fierz interference term bn, which is particularly sensitive to beyond-standard-model tensor currents at the TeV scale, has thus far eluded measurement. Here we report the first direct constraints on this term, finding bn=0.067±0.005stat-0.061+0.090sys, consistent with the standard model. The uncertainty is dominated by absolute energy reconstruction and the linearity of the β spectrometer energy response.

AB - Precision measurements of free-neutron β decay have been used to precisely constrain our understanding of the weak interaction. However, the neutron Fierz interference term bn, which is particularly sensitive to beyond-standard-model tensor currents at the TeV scale, has thus far eluded measurement. Here we report the first direct constraints on this term, finding bn=0.067±0.005stat-0.061+0.090sys, consistent with the standard model. The uncertainty is dominated by absolute energy reconstruction and the linearity of the β spectrometer energy response.

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JO - Physical Review C

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ER -

First direct constraints on Fierz interference in free-neutron β decay

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