118542460
Coherent Neutron Scattering in Polycrystalline Deuterium and its Implications for Ultracold Neutron Production
This paper presents a calculation of the neutron cross-sections in solid materials (used in practical neutron sources) with a large coherent scattering contribution. In particular, the dynamic structure function S(Q, !) of polycrystalline ortho-D2 is evaluated using a Monte-Carlo calculation that performs an average over scattering angles relative to crystal axes in random orientations. This method uses an analytical dispersion function with force constants derived from neutron scattering data of single crystal D2 in the framework of an axially symmetric force tensor. The resulting two dimensional map of S(Q, !) captures details of the phonon branches as well as the molecular rotations, that can be compared directly to data from inelastic neutron scattering on polycrystalline D2. This high resolution information is used to calculate the absolute cross-sections of production and upscattering loss of ultracold neutron (UCN). The resulting scattering cross-sections are significantly different, especially for UCN upscattering, from the previous predictions using the approach centered on the incoherent approximation.
121822416
Beta decay measurements with ultracold neutrons: a review of recent measurements and the research program at Los Alamos National Laboratory
We present a review of the motivation and results of recent experiments which utilize ultracold neutrons for measurements of neutron beta decay. Because these experiments hinge critically on the available ultracold neutron source technology, we also review the status of ultracold neutron source development, emphasizing the Los Alamos ultracold neutron facility and the ongoing beta decay research program sited there.
119507247
Storage of Ultracold Neutrons in the Magneto-Gravitational Trap of the UCN Experiment
The UCN experiment is designed to measure the lifetime n of the free neutron by trapping ultracold neutrons (UCN) in a magneto-gravitational trap. An asymmetric bowl-shaped NdFeB magnet Halbach array confines low-field-seeking UCN within the apparatus, and a set of electromagnetic coils in a toroidal geometry provides a background holding field to eliminate depolarization-induced UCN loss caused by magnetic field nodes. We present a measurement of the storage time store of the trap by storing UCN for various times and counting the survivors. The data are consistent with a single exponential decay, and we find store = 860 19 s, within 1 of current global averages for n. The storage time with the holding field deactivated is found to be store = 470 160 s; this decreased storage time is due to the loss of UCN, which undergo Majorana spin flips while being stored. We discuss plans to increase the statistical sensitivity of the measurement and investigate potential systematic effects.
118837551
New experimental limit on the electric dipole moment of the electron in a paramagnetic insulator
We report results of an experimental search for the intrinsic Electric Dipole Moment (EDM) of the electron using a solid-state technique. The experiment employs a paramagnetic, insulating gadolinium gallium garnet (GGG) that has a large magnetic response at low temperatures. The presence of the eEDM would lead to a small but non-zero magnetization as the GGG sample is subject to a strong electric field. We search for the resulting Stark-induced magnetization with a sensitive magnetometer. Recent progress on the suppression of several sources of background allows the experiment to run free of spurious signals at the level of the statistical uncertainties. We report our first limit on the eEDM of ( 5.57 ± 7.98 ± 0.12)×10 25 e·cm with 5 days of data averaging. The search for the electric dipole moment (EDM) of elementary particles is motivated to test the discrete symmetries assumed in the Standard Model (SM) of particle physics. An account of the different transformation properties of the EDM (a polar vector) and the spin (a pseudo-vector), the fundamental physical laws governing particles must violate both time-reversal (T) and parity-inversion (P) symmetries for a fermion to acquire an EDM [1]. While the phenomena of P violation is firmly established in numerous experiments, T violation has only been observed directly in the neutral kaon system [2], with more searches in the B system underway [3]. Measurements of EDMs of elementary particles use different experimental techniques, often on low energy systems at Q ≃ 0, to probe the physics of T violation (with no flavor-changing) at energy scales higher than tens of TeV, and could provide information complementary to that from high-energy collider experiments on the nature of symmetry breaking. The physics of T violation is often linked, via the CPT theorem, to the violation of the combined Charge conjugate (C) and P symmetry. The only confirmed source of CP violation in the SM is the complex phase of the CKM matrix (that describes the quark mixing in charged-current weak interactions). With it, the electron EDM (eEDM) manifests through high-order loop couplings that involve flavor-changing quark interactions with the exchange of W ± weak bosons. The resulting size of eEDM predicted within the framework of SM is no larger than 10 −38 e·cm, which is well beyond the reach of current experimental techniques. The current experimental upper bound is established using thallium atomic beams with a sensitivity of 1.6×10 −27 e·cm [4]. New sources of CP violation introduced by theories beyond
27442116
Cold neutron energy dependent production of ultracold neutrons in solid deuterium.
A measurement of the production of ultracold neutrons from velocity-selected cold neutrons on gaseous and solid deuterium targets is reported. The expected energy dependence for two-particle collisions with well defined neutron and Maxwell-Boltzmann distributed molecular velocities is found for the gas target. The solid target data agree in shape with the phonon density-of-states curve and provide strong evidence for the phonon model including multiphonon excitations.
5816062
Temperature-dependent neutron scattering cross-sections for polyethylene
Abstract This note presents neutron scattering cross-sections for polyethylene at 296, 77 and 4 K derived from a new scattering kernel for neutron scattering off of hydrogen in polyethylene. The kernel was developed in ENDF-6 format as a set of S ( α , β ) tables using the LEAPR module of the NJOY94 code package. The polyethylene density of states (from 0 to sub eV) adopted to derive the new kernel is presented. We compare our calculated room temperature total scattering cross-sections and double differential cross-sections at 232 meV at various angles with the available experimental data (at room temperature), and then extrapolate the calculations to lower temperatures (77 and 4 K). The new temperature-dependent scattering kernel gives a good quantitative fit to the available room temperature data and has a temperature dependence that is qualitatively consistent with thermodynamics.
118586717
Generalized Lüscher formula in multichannel baryon-meson scattering
L\"uscher's formula relates the elastic scattering phase shifts to the two-particle energy levels in a finite cubic box. The original formula was obtained for elastic scattering of two massive spinless particles in the center of mass frame. In this paper, we consider the case for the scattering of a spin 1/2 particle with a spinless particle in multi-channel scattering. A generalized relation between the energy of two particle system and the scattering matrix elements is established. We first obtain this relation using quantum-mechanics in both center-of-mass frame and in a general moving frame. The result is then generalized to quantum field theory using methods outlined in Ref. \cite{Hansen:2012tf}. We verify that the results obtained using both methods are equivalent up to terms that are exponentially suppressed in the box size.
119257528
MINOS anomaly as a signal of Lorentz violation
Recently, the MINUS Collaboration reported an anomaly that the mass-squared difference and mixing angle of (v) over bar (mu) (v) over bar (tau) are both different from that of (v) over bar (mu) (v) over bar (tau) . In this Letter, based on the framework of neutrino oscillations, terms that break the Lorentz symmetry are used as perturbation to explain this anomaly and satisfactory results are got. Remarkably, some surprising conclusions, one of which is that in the high energy limit (hundreds of GeV) neutrino oscillation pattern will be independent of energy, are also arrived. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
15819599
Spectral Parameters and Spectral Weights of Unstable Particles in Lattice QCD
We discuss the issues related to the spectral parameters (mass and width) of unstable particles in lattice calculations. Using a solvable model, the Lee Model, we show that the eigenvalues of the Hamiltonian, which is the spectrum measured from the Euclidean correlation functions in lattice simulations, need not be the same as the energy at which the scattering phase passes through π/2. It is in general also different from the real part of the actual pole position for the S-matrix element. These three quantities are close to one another only when the resonance is narrow. We also investigate the volume dependence of the so-called spectral weights for the energy eigenstates which can be obtained in lattice simulations. The volume dependence of this quantity helps to distinguish between one-particle and two-particle states in lattice calculations. Within the Lee model, we verify that this is indeed the case when the so-called V -particle is stable. For an unstable V -particle (resonance), this method is only applicable for narrow resonances. We argue that this conclusion should also be qualitatively correct in general theories like QCD.
15148390
Study of Hadron Scattering Using an Asymmetric Box
jbzhang@zimp.zju.edu.cnWe propose to study hadron-hadron scattering using lattice QCD in an asymmetric box whichallows one to access more non-degenerate low-momentum modes for a given volume. The con-ventional Luscher’s formula applicable in a symmetric box is modiﬁed accordingly. To illustratethe feasibility of this approach, pion-pion elastic scattering phase shifts in the
123899809
Recent results from lattice QCD
Recent lattice QCD results are reviewed with an emphasis on spectroscopic results concerning the charm quark. It is demonstrated that, with accurate computations from lattice QCD in recent years that can be compared with the existing or upcoming experiments, stringent test of the Standard Model can be performed which will greatly sharpen our knowledge on the strong interaction.