We present a search for possible spin dependent interactions of the neutron with matter through exchange of spin 1 bosons with axial vector couplings as envisioned in possible extensions of the ...Standard Model. This was sought using a slow neutron polarimeter that passed transversely polarized slow neutrons by unpolarized slabs of material arranged so that interactions would tilt the plane of polarization and develop a component along the neutron momentum. The result for the rotation angle, ϕ′=2.8±4.6(stat.)±4.0(sys.)×10−5 rad/m is consistent with zero. This result improves the upper bounds on the neutron-matter coupling gA2 by about three orders of magnitude for force ranges in the mm– μm regime.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Neutron spin rotation measurements Sarsour, M.; Amadio, J.; Anderson, E. ...
EPJ Web of Conferences,
2019, Volume:
219
Journal Article, Conference Proceeding
Peer reviewed
Open access
The neutron spin rotation (NSR) collaboration used parity-violating spin rotation of transversely polarized neutrons transmitted through a 0.5 m liquid helium target to constrain weak coupling ...constants between nucleons. While consistent with theoretical expectation, the upper limit set by this measurement on the rotation angle is limited by statistical uncertainties. The NSR collaboration is preparing a new measurement to improve this statistically-limited result by about an order of magnitude. In addition to using the new high-flux NG-C beam at the NIST Center for Neutron Research, the apparatus was upgraded to take advantage of the larger-area and more divergent NG-C beam. Significant improvements are also being made to the cryogenic design. Details of these improvements and readiness of the upgraded apparatus are presented. We also comment on how recent theoretical work combining effective field theory techniques with the 1/
N
c
expansion of QCD along with previous NN weak measurements can be used to make a prediction for
d
ϕ/
dz
in
4
He.
An experiment using the same apparatus with a room-temperature target was carried out at LANSCE to place limits on parity-conserving rotations from possible fifth-force interactions to complement previous studies. We sought this interaction using a slow neutron polarimeter that passed transversely polarized slow neutrons by unpolarized slabs of material arranged so that this interaction would tilt the plane of polarization and develop a component along the neutron momentum. The results of this measurement and its impact on the neutron-matter coupling
g
A
2
from such an interaction are presented. The NSR collaboration is also preparing a new measurement that uses an upgraded version of the room-temperature target to be run on the NG-C beamline; and it is expected to constrain
g
A
2
by at least two additional orders of magnitude for λ
c
between 1 cm and 1 μm.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
We report the first measurement of coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CEvNS) on argon using a liquid argon detector at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Spallation Neutron Source. Two ...independent analyses prefer CEvNS over the background-only null hypothesis with greater than 3σ significance. The measured cross section, averaged over the incident neutrino flux, is (2.2±0.7)×10^{-39} cm^{2}-consistent with the standard model prediction. The neutron-number dependence of this result, together with that from our previous measurement on CsI, confirms the existence of the CEvNS process and provides improved constraints on nonstandard neutrino interactions.
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The coherent elastic scattering of neutrinos off nuclei has eluded detection for four decades, even though its predicted cross section is by far the largest of all low-energy neutrino couplings. This ...mode of interaction offers new opportunities to study neutrino properties and leads to a miniaturization of detector size, with potential technological applications. We observed this process at a 6.7σ̃ confidence level, using a low-background, 14.6-kilogram CsINa scintillator exposed to the neutrino emissions from the Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Characteristic signatures in energy and time, predicted by the standard model for this process, were observed in high signal-to-background conditions. Improved constraints on nonstandard neutrino interactions with quarks are derived from this initial data set.
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BFBNIB, NMLJ, NUK, ODKLJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
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7.
Status of the UCN τ experiment Pattie, R.W.; Callahan, N.B.; Cude-Woods, C. ...
EPJ Web of Conferences,
2019, Volume:
219
Journal Article, Conference Proceeding
Peer reviewed
Open access
The neutron is the simplest nuclear system that can be used to probe the structure of the weak interaction and search for physics beyond the standard model. Measurements of neutron lifetime and ...β-decay correlation coefficients with precisions of 0.02% and 0.1%, respectively, would allow for stringent constraints on new physics. The UCNτ experiment uses an asymmetric magneto-gravitational UCN trap with
in situ
counting of surviving neutrons to measure the neutron lifetime, τ
n
= 877.7s (0.7s)
stat
(+0.4/−0.2s)
sys
. We discuss the recent result from UCNτ, the status of ongoing data collection and analysis, and the path toward a 0.25 s measurement of the neutron lifetime with UCNτ.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
The precise value of the mean neutron lifetime, τ
, 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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BFBNIB, NMLJ, NUK, ODKLJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
We report an improved measurement of the free neutron lifetime τn using the UCN τ apparatus at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center. We count a total of approximately 38 × 106 surviving ultracold ...neutrons (UCNs) after storing in UCN τ's magnetogravitational trap over two data acquisition campaigns in 2017 and 2018. We extract τn from three blinded, independent analyses by both pairing long and short storage time runs to find a set of replicate τn measurements and by performing a global likelihood fit to all data while self-consistently incorporating the β -decay lifetime. Both techniques achieve consistent results and find a value τn = 877.75 ± 0.2 8stat + 0.22/−0.16syst s. With this sensitivity, neutron lifetime experiments now directly address the impact of recent refinements in our understanding of the standard model for neutron decay.
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The COHERENT Collaboration searched for scalar dark matter particles produced at the Spallation Neutron Source with masses between 1 and 220 MeV/c^{2} using a CsINa scintillation detector sensitive ...to nuclear recoils above 9 keV_{nr}. No evidence for dark matter is found and we thus place limits on allowed parameter space. With this low-threshold detector, we are sensitive to coherent elastic scattering between dark matter and nuclei. The cross section for this process is orders of magnitude higher than for other processes historically used for accelerator-based direct-detection searches so that our small, 14.6 kg detector significantly improves on past constraints. At peak sensitivity, we reject the flux consistent with the cosmologically observed dark-matter concentration for all coupling constants α_{D}<0.64, assuming a scalar dark-matter particle. We also calculate the sensitivity of future COHERENT detectors to dark-matter signals which will ambitiously test multiple dark-matter spin scenarios.
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