Author ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/0009-0008-1432-546X
Date Available
12-18-2024
Year of Publication
2024
Document Type
Doctoral Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
College
Arts and Sciences
Department/School/Program
Physics and Astronomy
Advisor
Dr. Christopher Crawford
Abstract
Precision measurements of the neutron lifetime are critical to tests of the Standard Model. The CKM quark mixing matrix has recently been shown to deviate from unitarity in the top row, motivating the development of alternative extractions of the first element. Complementary measurements of the neutron’s lifetime and decay correlations can be used to accomplish this.
While the reported neutron lifetime by the Particle Data Group is taken from ultracold neutron (UCN) measurements, a separate class of experiments suggest a value in four sigma disagreement, meriting further study. The goal of the UCNProBe experiment at Los Alamos National Laboratory is to measure the neutron lifetime using the beam method with wholly different systematics compared to the traditional technique to study the origin of the beam-bottle discrepancy.
The work described in this dissertation outlines the feasibility of the experiment. Measurements of the light output properties of organic and inorganic scintillators were used to create Monte Carlo models to study systematics, detection efficiencies, and backgrounds. The results of these simulations, as well as recent UCN counting data, have informed the design of the experiment and shown that high detection efficiencies are achievable, enabling a new class of precision beam experiments.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2024.512
Funding Information
This work was supported by Los Alamos National Laboratory's Laboratory-Directed Research & Development Program (Project No. 20190048 ER), the National Science Foundation (Grant No. PHY1914133), and the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Physics (Grant Nos. DE-FG02-97ER41042 and DE-FOA-0002821).
Recommended Citation
Floyd, Nicholas, "Development of a Novel Beam-Type Neutron Lifetime Experiment Using Ultracold Neutrons" (2024). Theses and Dissertations--Physics and Astronomy. 130.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/physastron_etds/130
