The neutron lifetime experiment tSPECT

18 Oct 2016, 18:09
1m

Speaker

Mr Jan Peter Karch (Institute of Physics, University of Mainz)

Description

The decay of the free neutron into a proton, electron and antineutrino is the prototype of semi-leptonic weak decays and plays a key role in particle physics and astrophysics. The most precise measurement of the neutron lifetime to date use ultra-cold neutrons (UCN) stored in material vessels. Their accuracy is limited by systematic errors, mainly caused by anomalous losses of UCN during storage at the vessel walls. With the magnetic storage of neutrons these systematic limitations can be avoided and an accuracy of 0.3s for the lifetime of the neutron can be reached. In Mainz the neutron experiment tSPECT has been set up, which uses a combination of magnetic multipole fields for radial storage and the superconducting aSPECT magnet for longitudinal storage of UCN. In a first phase the goal is to measure the neutron lifetime with a precision of ~1s. In this presentation, the status of tSPECT and the results of the first comissioning measurements will be presented.

Primary author

Mr Jan Peter Karch (Institute of Physics, University of Mainz)

Co-authors

Dr Christopher Geppert (University of Mainz) Mr Jan Haack (University of Mainz) Mr Jan Kahlenberg (University of Mainz) Mrs Kim Ross (University of Mainz) Dr Klaus Eberhardt (University of Mainz) Dr Marcus Beck (Helmholtz-Institut Mainz and Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz) Dr Sergej Karpuk (University of Mainz) Prof. Werner Heil (Institute of Physics) Dr Yury Sobolev (Institut fuer Physik, Johannes-Gutenberg Universitaet, Mainz)

Presentation materials

There are no materials yet.