Measurement of the neutron beta-asymmetry parameter A(0) with ultracold neutrons

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Date
2012-11-12
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American Physical Society
Abstract

We present a detailed report of a measurement of the neutron beta-asymmetry parameter A(0), the parity-violating angular correlation between the neutron spin and the decay electron momentum, performed with polarized ultracold neutrons (UCN). UCN were extracted from a pulsed spallation solid deuterium source and polarized via transport through a 7-T magnetic field. The polarized UCN were then transported through an adiabatic-fast-passage spin-flipper field region, prior to storage in a cylindrical decay volume situated within a 1-T 2 x 2 pi solenoidal spectrometer. The asymmetry was extracted from measurements of the decay electrons in multiwire proportional chamber and plastic scintillator detector packages located on both ends of the spectrometer. From an analysis of data acquired during runs in 2008 and 2009, we report A(0) = -0.11966 +/- 0.00089(-0.00140)(+0.00123), from lambda = g(A)/g(V) = -1.27590 +/- 0.00239(-0.00377)(+0.00331). Complete details of the analysis are presented.

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Keywords
inelastically scattered neutrons, multiwire proportional chamber, polarized neutrons, cold neutrons, emission asymmetry, solid deuterium, decay, lifetime, tests, spectrometer, Physics
Citation
Plaster, B. ; Rios, R. ; Back, H. O. ; et al., Nov 12, 2012. “Measurement of the neutron beta-asymmetry parameter A(0) with ultracold neutrons,” PHYSICAL REVIEW C 86(5): 055501. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevC.86.055501