Measurement of the neutron lifetime using a magneto-gravitational trap

TL;DR

This paper reports a precise measurement of the neutron lifetime using a magneto-gravitational trap with an in-situ detector, aiming to resolve discrepancies in previous methods and test Standard Model predictions.

Contribution

It introduces a novel neutron lifetime measurement technique with reduced wall loss effects and spectral monitoring capabilities, providing a more accurate value.

Findings

Measured neutron lifetime as 877.7 ± 0.7 (stat) +0.4/-0.2 (sys) seconds.

Demonstrated systematic effects through Monte Carlo simulations.

Reduced uncertainties compared to previous bottle measurements.

Abstract

Precision measurements of the free neutron lifetime $\tau_n$, when combined with measurements of the axial vector form factor, can be used to test unitarity of the CKM matrix. Non-unitarity is a signal for physics Beyond the Standard Model (BSM). Sensitivity to BSM physics requires measurements of $\tau_n$ to a precision of 0.1~s. However, the two dominant techniques to measure $\tau_n$ (colloquially beam and bottle measurements) disagree by nearly 10~s. UCN$\tau$ is a neutron lifetime experiment using a magneto-gravitational trap and an in-situ neutron detector. Neutrons in this trap are not susceptible to loss on material walls as in previous bottle measurements. Additionally, the in-situ detector allows spectral monitoring of the trapped Ultracold Neutrons. In this talk, I will present our most recent result - $\tau_n=877.7\pm0.7_\text{(stat.)}+0.4/-0.2_\text{(sys.)}$~s. I will also present Monte Carlo simulations of systematic effects in the experiment including heating and spectral cleaning.