Concept of the UCN Source at the WWR-K Reactor (AlSUN)

TL;DR

This paper proposes a conceptual design for an ultracold neutron source at the WWR-K reactor, focusing on optimizing UCN density through advanced cryogenic and material techniques to enhance experimental capabilities.

Contribution

It introduces a novel conceptual design for an UCN source utilizing superfluid helium-4 and specific material requirements, with plans for testing and implementation methods.

Findings

Design effectively separates heat and UCN flows

Temperature of superfluid helium-4 reduced below 1 K

Potential for increased UCN density using high critical velocity materials

Abstract

We present the concept of the ultracold neutron (UCN) source with a superfluid helium-4 converter located in the thermal column of the WWR-K research reactor at the Institute of Nuclear Physics (INP) in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The conceptual design is based on the idea of accumulating UCNs in the source and effectively transporting them to experimental setups. We propose to improve the UCN density in the source by separating the heat and the UCN flows from the production volume and decreasing both, the temperature of the SuperFluid $ ^{ 4 }$He (SF $ ^{ 4 }$He) converter below $\sim$1 K and the coefficient of UCN wall loss below $\sim$$ 10^{ -4 }$. To achieve the operation temperatures below 1 K we plan to use a He-3 pumping cryogenic system and minimize the thermal load on the UCN accumulation trap walls. Additional gain in the total number of accumulated UCNs can be achieved due to use of a material of a high critical velocity for the walls of the accumulation trap. The implementation of such a design critically depends on the availability of materials with specific UCN and cryogenic properties. This paper describes the conceptual design of the source, discusses its implementation methods and material requirements, and plans for material testing studies.