A method to polarise antiprotons in storage rings and create polarised antineutrons

TL;DR

This paper proposes a novel method to polarize antiprotons in storage rings using polarized photon beams, resulting in highly polarized antineutrons, with potential applications in particle physics research.

Contribution

It introduces a new technique leveraging spin-dependent absorption cross sections to polarize antiprotons and produce polarized antineutrons in storage rings.

Findings

Polarization figures-of-merit around 0.1 are achievable.

Antineutrons with polarization > 70% can be produced.

Method demonstrated for 300 MeV/c antiproton beams.

Abstract

An intense circularely polarised photon beam interacts with a cooled antiproton beam in a storage ring. Due to spin dependent absorption cross sections for the reaction gamma+antiproton > pi- + antineutron a built-up of polarisation of the stored antiprotons takes place. Figures-of-merit around 0.1 can be reached in principle over a wide range of antiproton energies. In this process antineutrons with Polarisation > 70% emerge. The method is presented for the case of 300 MeV/c cooled antiproton beam.