First Measurement of the Neutron $β$-Asymmetry with Ultracold Neutrons

dc.creatorPattie Jr, R. W.
dc.date2008-09-17
dc.date.accessioned2026-07-07T12:28:46Z
dc.date.available2026-07-07T12:28:46Z
dc.descriptionWe report the first measurement of angular correlation parameters in neutron $β$-decay using polarized ultracold neutrons (UCN). We utilize UCN with energies below about 200 neV, which we guide and store for $\sim 30$ s in a Cu decay volume. The $\vecμ_n \cdot \vec{B}$ potential of a static 7 T field external to the decay volume provides a 420 neV potential energy barrier to the spin state parallel to the field, polarizing the UCN before they pass through an adiabatic fast passage (AFP) spin-flipper and enter a decay volume, situated within a 1 T, $2 \times 2π$ superconducting solenoidal spectrometer. We determine a value for the $β$-asymmetry parameter $A_0$, proportional to the angular correlation between the neutron polarization and the electron momentum, of $A_0 = -0.1138 \pm 0.0051$.
dc.description4 pages, 2 figures, 1 table, submitted to Phys. Rev. Lett
dc.identifierhttps://arxiv.org/abs/0809.2941
dc.identifierhttp://arxiv.org/abs/0809.2941
dc.identifierPhys.Rev.Lett.102:012301,2009
dc.identifierdoi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.102.012301
dc.identifier.urihttp://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/215647
dc.subjectNuclear Experiment
dc.titleFirst Measurement of the Neutron $β$-Asymmetry with Ultracold Neutrons
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