Measurement of the neutron lifetime using magnetically trapped neutrons: tSPECT
Final Report Abstract
During the DFG funding period, the neutron lifetime experiment τSPECT using a 3D magnetic storage could measure the neutron lifetime with an total accuracy of ∆τ ~ ±10s (preliminary). Systematics were checked both by supplementary measurements and by MC particle tracking simulations. The accuracy of this experiment is statistically limited and needs further improvements on the UCN yield. Only the surviving neutrons were measured to obtain the storage curve data. The proposed alternative approach, i.e., the in-situ measurement of the decay protons during storage was postponed and will be realized in the framework of the excellence cluster PRISMA+. In the meantime, the τSPECT experiment has received a significant boost by the participation of the research groups of Assistant Professor Dieter Ries (Institute of Nuclear Chemistry, JGU Mainz) and Professor Martin Fertl (Institute of Physics, JGU Mainz), who are pushing the project forward within the framework of PRISMA+ Cluster of Excellence.
