Measurement of the neutron lifetime using a magneto-gravitational trap and in situ detection

R. W. Pattie; N. B. Callahan; C. Cude-Woods; E. R. Adamek; L. J. Broussard; S. M. Clayton; S. A. Currie; E. B. Dees; X. Ding; E. M. Engel; D. E. Fellers; W. Fox; P. Geltenbort; K. P. Hickerson; M. A. Hoffbauer; A. T. Holley; A. Komives; C. Y. Liu; S. W.T. MacDonald; M. Makela; C. L. Morris; J. D. Ortiz; J. Ramsey; D. J. Salvat; A. Saunders; S. J. Seestrom; E. I. Sharapov; S. K. Sjue; Z. Tang; J. Vanderwerp; B. Vogelaar; P. L. Walstrom; Z. Wang; W. Wei; H. L. Weaver; J. W. Wexler; T. L. Womack; A. R. Young; B. A. Zeck

doi:10.1126/science.aan8895

Measurement of the neutron lifetime using a magneto-gravitational trap and in situ detection

R. W. Pattie, N. B. Callahan, C. Cude-Woods, E. R. Adamek, L. J. Broussard, S. M. Clayton, S. A. Currie, E. B. Dees, X. Ding, E. M. Engel, D. E. Fellers, W. Fox, P. Geltenbort, K. P. Hickerson, M. A. Hoffbauer, A. T. Holley, A. Komives, C. Y. Liu, S. W.T. MacDonald, M. MakelaC. L. Morris, J. D. Ortiz, J. Ramsey, D. J. Salvat, A. Saunders, S. J. Seestrom, E. I. Sharapov, S. K. Sjue, Z. Tang, J. Vanderwerp, B. Vogelaar, P. L. Walstrom, Z. Wang, W. Wei, H. L. Weaver, J. W. Wexler, T. L. Womack, A. R. Young, B. A. Zeck

Neutron Symmetries

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Abstract

The precise value of the mean neutron lifetime, t_n, plays an important role in nuclear and particle physics and cosmology. It is used to predict the ratio of protons to helium atoms in the primordial universe and to search for physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics. We eliminated 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. As a result of this approach and the use of an in situ neutron detector, the lifetime reported here [877.7 ± 0.7 (stat) +0.4/–0.2 (sys) seconds] does not require corrections larger than the quoted uncertainties.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	627-632
Number of pages	6
Journal	Science
Volume	360
Issue number	6389
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aan8895
State	Published - May 11 2018

Funding

The authors thank the staff of LANSCE for their diligent efforts to develop the diagnostics and new techniques required to provide the proton beam for this experiment. This work was supported by the Los Alamos Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) office (no. 20140568DR), the LDRD Program of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, managed by UT-Battelle (no. 8215), the National Science Foundation (nos. 130692, 1307426, 161454, 1306997, and 1553861), NIST Precision Measurement Grant, IU Center for Space Time Symmetries (IUCSS), the LANSCE Rosen Scholarship program, and U.S. DOE Low Energy Nuclear Physics (nos. DE-FG02-97ER41042 and DE-AC05-00OR22725).

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Pattie, R. W., Callahan, N. B., Cude-Woods, C., Adamek, E. R., Broussard, L. J., Clayton, S. M., Currie, S. A., Dees, E. B., Ding, X., Engel, E. M., Fellers, D. E., Fox, W., Geltenbort, P., Hickerson, K. P., Hoffbauer, M. A., Holley, A. T., Komives, A., Liu, C. Y., MacDonald, S. W. T., ... Zeck, B. A. (2018). Measurement of the neutron lifetime using a magneto-gravitational trap and in situ detection. Science, 360(6389), 627-632. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aan8895

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title = "Measurement of the neutron lifetime using a magneto-gravitational trap and in situ detection",

abstract = "The precise value of the mean neutron lifetime, tn, plays an important role in nuclear and particle physics and cosmology. It is used to predict the ratio of protons to helium atoms in the primordial universe and to search for physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics. We eliminated 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. As a result of this approach and the use of an in situ neutron detector, the lifetime reported here [877.7 ± 0.7 (stat) +0.4/–0.2 (sys) seconds] does not require corrections larger than the quoted uncertainties.",

author = "Pattie, {R. W.} and Callahan, {N. B.} and C. Cude-Woods and Adamek, {E. R.} and Broussard, {L. J.} and Clayton, {S. M.} and Currie, {S. A.} and Dees, {E. B.} and X. Ding and Engel, {E. M.} and Fellers, {D. E.} and W. Fox and P. Geltenbort and Hickerson, {K. P.} and Hoffbauer, {M. A.} and Holley, {A. T.} and A. Komives and Liu, {C. Y.} and MacDonald, {S. W.T.} and M. Makela and Morris, {C. L.} and Ortiz, {J. D.} and J. Ramsey and Salvat, {D. J.} and A. Saunders and Seestrom, {S. J.} and Sharapov, {E. I.} and Sjue, {S. K.} and Z. Tang and J. Vanderwerp and B. Vogelaar and Walstrom, {P. L.} and Z. Wang and W. Wei and Weaver, {H. L.} and Wexler, {J. W.} and Womack, {T. L.} and Young, {A. R.} and Zeck, {B. A.}",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2017 The Authors",

year = "2018",

month = may,

day = "11",

doi = "10.1126/science.aan8895",

language = "English",

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Pattie, RW, Callahan, NB, Cude-Woods, C, Adamek, ER, Broussard, LJ, Clayton, SM, Currie, SA, Dees, EB, Ding, X, Engel, EM, Fellers, DE, Fox, W, Geltenbort, P, Hickerson, KP, Hoffbauer, MA, Holley, AT, Komives, A, Liu, CY, MacDonald, SWT, Makela, M, Morris, CL, Ortiz, JD, Ramsey, J, Salvat, DJ, Saunders, A, Seestrom, SJ, Sharapov, EI, Sjue, SK, Tang, Z, Vanderwerp, J, Vogelaar, B, Walstrom, PL, Wang, Z, Wei, W, Weaver, HL, Wexler, JW, Womack, TL, Young, AR & Zeck, BA 2018, 'Measurement of the neutron lifetime using a magneto-gravitational trap and in situ detection', Science, vol. 360, no. 6389, pp. 627-632. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aan8895

TY - JOUR

T1 - Measurement of the neutron lifetime using a magneto-gravitational trap and in situ detection

AU - Pattie, R. W.

AU - Callahan, N. B.

AU - Cude-Woods, C.

AU - Adamek, E. R.

AU - Broussard, L. J.

AU - Clayton, S. M.

AU - Currie, S. A.

AU - Dees, E. B.

AU - Ding, X.

AU - Engel, E. M.

AU - Fellers, D. E.

AU - Fox, W.

AU - Geltenbort, P.

AU - Hickerson, K. P.

AU - Hoffbauer, M. A.

AU - Holley, A. T.

AU - Komives, A.

AU - Liu, C. Y.

AU - MacDonald, S. W.T.

AU - Makela, M.

AU - Morris, C. L.

AU - Ortiz, J. D.

AU - Ramsey, J.

AU - Salvat, D. J.

AU - Saunders, A.

AU - Seestrom, S. J.

AU - Sharapov, E. I.

AU - Sjue, S. K.

AU - Tang, Z.

AU - Vanderwerp, J.

AU - Vogelaar, B.

AU - Walstrom, P. L.

AU - Wang, Z.

AU - Wei, W.

AU - Weaver, H. L.

AU - Wexler, J. W.

AU - Womack, T. L.

AU - Young, A. R.

AU - Zeck, B. A.

PY - 2018/5/11

Y1 - 2018/5/11

N2 - The precise value of the mean neutron lifetime, tn, plays an important role in nuclear and particle physics and cosmology. It is used to predict the ratio of protons to helium atoms in the primordial universe and to search for physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics. We eliminated 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. As a result of this approach and the use of an in situ neutron detector, the lifetime reported here [877.7 ± 0.7 (stat) +0.4/–0.2 (sys) seconds] does not require corrections larger than the quoted uncertainties.

AB - The precise value of the mean neutron lifetime, tn, plays an important role in nuclear and particle physics and cosmology. It is used to predict the ratio of protons to helium atoms in the primordial universe and to search for physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics. We eliminated 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. As a result of this approach and the use of an in situ neutron detector, the lifetime reported here [877.7 ± 0.7 (stat) +0.4/–0.2 (sys) seconds] does not require corrections larger than the quoted uncertainties.

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AN - SCOPUS:85046545221

SN - 0036-8075

VL - 360

SP - 627

EP - 632

JO - Science

JF - Science

IS - 6389

ER -

Measurement of the neutron lifetime using a magneto-gravitational trap and in situ detection

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