The pNAB experiment and the quest for ever better neutron beam polarization

pNAB collaboration

doi:10.22323/1.472.0066

The pNAB experiment and the quest for ever better neutron beam polarization

pNAB collaboration

Research output: Contribution to journal › Conference article › peer-review

Abstract

The Nab and pNAB collaborations are conducting a program of studies of free neutron beta decay, with the primary goal of testing the unitarity of the Cabbibo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix that describes quark mixing due to the weak interaction. For this purpose, a large, novel electromagnetic spectrometer, the Nab spectrometer, has been designed, built, and placed in use to determine the correlation coefficients in unpolarized neutron beta decay: a, the neutrino–electron correlation coefficient; and b, the Fierz term. The subject of this paper is pNAB, the second phase of the program, that will deploy the same spectrometer with a polarized neutron beam to determine A, the beta asymmetry; and B, the neutrino asymmetry coefficients. A focus of this paper will be on the strategies to provide a high and precisely known neutron beam polarization.

Original language	English
Article number	066
Journal	Proceedings of Science
Volume	472
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.22323/1.472.0066
State	Published - Jun 27 2025
Event	20th International Workshop on Polarized Source, Targets, and Polarimetry, PSTP 2024 - Newport News, United States Duration: Sep 22 2024 → Sep 27 2024

Funding

We acknowledge the support from the National Science Foundation (in particular from awards 2111363, 2209484, 2209590, 2412782, 2412846), Department of Energy Nuclear Physics (NP) (in particular from awards DE-FG02-03ER41258, DE-FG02-97ER41042, DE-SC0014622 and DE-SC0019309), the University of Virginia, Arizona State University, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and Triangle University Nuclear Laboratory.

Access to Document

10.22323/1.472.0066

Cite this

@article{4a6352f0b6c14e21a3598a4e67263279,

title = "The pNAB experiment and the quest for ever better neutron beam polarization",

abstract = "The Nab and pNAB collaborations are conducting a program of studies of free neutron beta decay, with the primary goal of testing the unitarity of the Cabbibo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix that describes quark mixing due to the weak interaction. For this purpose, a large, novel electromagnetic spectrometer, the Nab spectrometer, has been designed, built, and placed in use to determine the correlation coefficients in unpolarized neutron beta decay: a, the neutrino–electron correlation coefficient; and b, the Fierz term. The subject of this paper is pNAB, the second phase of the program, that will deploy the same spectrometer with a polarized neutron beam to determine A, the beta asymmetry; and B, the neutrino asymmetry coefficients. A focus of this paper will be on the strategies to provide a high and precisely known neutron beam polarization.",

author = "\{pNAB collaboration\} and S. Bae{\ss}ler and R. Alarcon and \{Barr{\'o}n Palos\}, L. and Broussard, \{L. J.\} and Choi, \{J. H.\} and T. Chupp and Crawford, \{C. B.\} and G. Dodson and N. Fomin and J. Fry and F. Gonzalez and J. Hamblen and L. Hayen and A. Jezghani and M. Makela and R. Mammei and A. Mendelsohn and Mueller, \{P. E.\} and S. Penttil{\"a} and Pioquinto, \{J. A.\} and B. Plaster and D. Po{\v c}ani{\'c} and A. Saunders and W. Schreyer and Young, \{A. R.\}",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} Copyright owned by the author(s) under the terms of the Creative Commons.; 20th International Workshop on Polarized Source, Targets, and Polarimetry, PSTP 2024 ; Conference date: 22-09-2024 Through 27-09-2024",

year = "2025",

month = jun,

day = "27",

doi = "10.22323/1.472.0066",

language = "English",

volume = "472",

journal = "Proceedings of Science",

issn = "1824-8039",

publisher = "Sissa Medialab",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - The pNAB experiment and the quest for ever better neutron beam polarization

AU - pNAB collaboration

AU - Baeßler, S.

AU - Alarcon, R.

AU - Barrón Palos, L.

AU - Broussard, L. J.

AU - Choi, J. H.

AU - Chupp, T.

AU - Crawford, C. B.

AU - Dodson, G.

AU - Fomin, N.

AU - Fry, J.

AU - Gonzalez, F.

AU - Hamblen, J.

AU - Hayen, L.

AU - Jezghani, A.

AU - Makela, M.

AU - Mammei, R.

AU - Mendelsohn, A.

AU - Mueller, P. E.

AU - Penttilä, S.

AU - Pioquinto, J. A.

AU - Plaster, B.

AU - Počanić, D.

AU - Saunders, A.

AU - Schreyer, W.

AU - Young, A. R.

PY - 2025/6/27

Y1 - 2025/6/27

N2 - The Nab and pNAB collaborations are conducting a program of studies of free neutron beta decay, with the primary goal of testing the unitarity of the Cabbibo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix that describes quark mixing due to the weak interaction. For this purpose, a large, novel electromagnetic spectrometer, the Nab spectrometer, has been designed, built, and placed in use to determine the correlation coefficients in unpolarized neutron beta decay: a, the neutrino–electron correlation coefficient; and b, the Fierz term. The subject of this paper is pNAB, the second phase of the program, that will deploy the same spectrometer with a polarized neutron beam to determine A, the beta asymmetry; and B, the neutrino asymmetry coefficients. A focus of this paper will be on the strategies to provide a high and precisely known neutron beam polarization.

AB - The Nab and pNAB collaborations are conducting a program of studies of free neutron beta decay, with the primary goal of testing the unitarity of the Cabbibo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix that describes quark mixing due to the weak interaction. For this purpose, a large, novel electromagnetic spectrometer, the Nab spectrometer, has been designed, built, and placed in use to determine the correlation coefficients in unpolarized neutron beta decay: a, the neutrino–electron correlation coefficient; and b, the Fierz term. The subject of this paper is pNAB, the second phase of the program, that will deploy the same spectrometer with a polarized neutron beam to determine A, the beta asymmetry; and B, the neutrino asymmetry coefficients. A focus of this paper will be on the strategies to provide a high and precisely known neutron beam polarization.

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105009687567

U2 - 10.22323/1.472.0066

DO - 10.22323/1.472.0066

M3 - Conference article

AN - SCOPUS:105009687567

SN - 1824-8039

VL - 472

JO - Proceedings of Science

JF - Proceedings of Science

M1 - 066

T2 - 20th International Workshop on Polarized Source, Targets, and Polarimetry, PSTP 2024

Y2 - 22 September 2024 through 27 September 2024

ER -

The pNAB experiment and the quest for ever better neutron beam polarization

Abstract

Funding

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this