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We discuss the quantum-bouncer experiment involving ultracold neutrons in a braneworld scenario. Extra-dimensional theories typically predict the strengthening of gravitational interactions over short distances. In this paper, we specifically study the anomalous gravitational interaction between the bouncing neutron and the reflecting mirror, resulting from hidden dimensions, and investigate the effects of this new interaction on the outcome of the quantum-bouncer experiment in the context of a thick brane model. This analysis allows us to identify which physical quantity of the extra-dimensional theory this neutron experiment is capable of constraining. Based on the experimental data, we found a new and independent empirical bound on the free parameters of the model: the higher-dimensional gravitational constant and a parameter related to a transverse width of the confined matter inside the thickbrane. This new bound is valid in scenarios with an arbitrary number of extra dimensions greater than two. In this manner, by considering the thickness of the brane, we have been able to extend previous studies on this topic, which were limited to models with few codimensions, due to non-computability problems of power-law corrections of the gravitational potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper proposes an experiment to measure the neutron lifetime by storing ultracold neutrons in a rotating magnetic trap. The magnetic trap is a set of NdFeB permanent magnets. By rotating the trap around a horizontal axis, it is possible to carry out the gravitational capture of ultracold neutrons and their holding. A design option is presented when two traps are located in one installation on the same axis: material and magnetic. The sensitivity of the magnetic trap is assessed in comparison with the material one under equal measurement conditions. One of the factors influencing the systematic error of the experiment will be the process of neutron depolarization in a magnetic field. Therefore, the paper considers the issue of developing a magnetic system that minimizes the probability of neutron depolarization. The so-called turbine effect is also considered, which can manifest itself in a change in the energy of ultracold neutrons during rotation due to interaction with the flat faces of the trap. The proposed gravitational capture of ultracold neutrons in a magnetic trap is a fundamentally new approach that has never been implemented before. The experiment can be carried out on the ultracold neutron source under construction at the PIK reactor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Spallation Source, currently under construction in Lund, Sweden, is a multidisciplinary international laboratory. Once completed to full specifications, it will operate the world's most powerful pulsed neutron source. Supported by a 3 million Euro Research and Innovation Action within the EU Horizon 2020 program, a design study (HighNESS) has been completed to develop a second neutron source located below the spallation target. Compared to the first source, designed for high cold and thermal brightness, the new source has been optimized to deliver higher intensity, and a shift to longer wavelengths in the spectral regions of cold (CN, 2–20 Å), very cold (VCN, 10–120 Å), and ultracold (UCN, >500 Å) neutrons. The second source comprises a large liquid deuterium moderator designed to produce CN and support secondary VCN and UCN sources. Various options have been explored in the proposed designs, aiming for world-leading performance in neutronics. These designs will enable the development of several new instrument concepts and facilitate the implementation of a high-sensitivity neutron-antineutron oscillation experiment (NNBAR). This document serves as the Conceptual Design Report for the HighNESS project, representing its final deliverable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study of the dead layer thickness and quenching factor of a plastic scintillator for use in ultracold neutron (UCN) experiments is described. Alpha spectroscopy was used to determine the thickness of a thin surface dead layer to be 630 ± 110 nm. The relative light outputs from the decay of 241Am and Compton scattering of electrons were used to extract Birks' law coefficient, yielding a kB value of 0.087 ± 0.003 mm/MeV, consistent with some previous reports for other polystyrene-based scintillators. The results from these measurements are incorporated into the simulation to show that an energy threshold of (∼9 keV) can be achieved for the UCNProBe experiment. This low threshold enables high beta particle detection efficiency and the indirect measurement of UCN. The ability to make the scintillator deuterated, accompanied by its relatively thin dead layer, gives rise to unique applications in a wide range of UCN experiments, where it can be used to trap UCN and detect charged particles in situ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluorine-doped detonation nanodiamond (DND) powders are considered as a new class of neutron reflectors and can significantly improve the performance of very cold and ultracold neutron sources, which in turn will lead to new types of experiments at a qualitative level. These improvements are achieved due to such properties of DND as high diffusion and quasi-mirror reflection. The high reflectivity improves the neutron delivery efficiency and, consequently, the neutron fluxes at neutron facilities. On this basis, fluorinated DNDs are considered as a potential neutron reflector material for the designed very cold and ultracold neutron source at the WWR-K reactor. However, to date, experimental data on the behaviour of fluorinated DND in the neutron field are insufficient, and therefore, in order to study the radiation resistance of DND at the WWR-K reactor, work has been started on their irradiation and further study. For this purpose, an optimal irradiation capsule design was developed and comprehensive calculations were performed to justify the conditions and limits of reactor irradiation. This paper describes the irradiated samples and reactor experiment, the methodology and conditions for irradiating the samples, and the results of their initial characterisation after irradiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When ultracold neutrons interact with moving surfaces, their energy can change (so-called turbine effect). In this case, both an increase and a decrease in the neutron energy are possible. In previous experiments with the capture of ultracold neutrons in a gravitational trap by rotating it, it was made to have the shape of a body of revolution, which was done specifically to avoid the turbine effect. In this paper, the authors consider an experiment with a rotating gravitational trap that does not have the shape of a body of revolution. The Monte Carlo method was used to simulate the turbine effect at different stages of the experiment. The transformation of the neutron spectrum over time is calculated as a function of the trap rotation speed. A possible systematic error in the measurement of the neutron lifetime due to the influence of the turbine effect is considered. Experimental parameters are obtained for which it is absent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neutron star observations, as well as experiments on neutron-rich nuclei, used to motivate one to look at degenerate nuclear matter from its extreme, namely, pure neutron matter. As an important next step, impurities and clusters in dilute neutron matter have attracted special attention. In this paper, we review in-medium properties of these objects on the basis of the physics of polarons, which have been recently realized in ultracold atomic experiments. We discuss how such atomic and nuclear systems are related to each other in terms of polarons. In addition to the interdisciplinary understanding of in-medium nuclear clusters, it is shown that the quasiparticle energy of a single proton in neutron matter is associated with the symmetry energy, implying a novel route toward the nuclear equation of state from the neutron-rich side. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neutron star observations, as well as experiments on neutron-rich nuclei, used to motivate one to look at degenerate nuclear matter from its extreme, namely, pure neutron matter. As an important next step, impurities and clusters in dilute neutron matter have attracted special attention. In this paper, we review in-medium properties of these objects on the basis of the physics of polarons, which have been recently realized in ultracold atomic experiments. We discuss how such atomic and nuclear systems are related to each other in terms of polarons. In addition to the interdisciplinary understanding of in-medium nuclear clusters, it is shown that the quasiparticle energy of a single proton in neutron matter is associated with the symmetry energy, implying a novel route toward the nuclear equation of state from the neutron-rich side. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Spallation Source (ESS), presently under construction in Lund, Sweden, is a multidisciplinary international laboratory that, once completed at full specifications, will operate the world's most powerful pulsed neutron source. Supported by a 3 M Euro Research and Innovation Action within the European Union Horizon 2020 program, a design study (HighNESS) is now underway to develop a second neutron source located below the spallation target. Compared to the first source, which is located above the spallation target and designed for high cold and thermal brightness, the new source is being optimized to deliver higher intensity and a shift to longer wavelengths in the spectral regions of cold neutrons (CNs) (2 to 20 Å), very cold neutrons (VCNs) (10 to 120 Å), and ultracold neutrons (UCNs) ($ \gt {\kern 1pt}$ > 500 Å). The second source consists of a large liquid deuterium moderator to deliver CNs and serve secondary VCN and UCN sources, for which different options are under study. These new sources will boost several areas of condensed matter research and will provide unique opportunities in fundamental physics. The HighNESS project is now entering its last year, and we are working toward the Conceptual Design Report of the ESS upgrade. In this paper, results obtained in the first 2 years, ongoing developments, and future perspectives are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the simulation of a complex of reserch with ultracold neutrons at the reactor PIK (Gatchina, Russia). The complex is being built on the basis of a high-intensity source of ultracold neutrons at the channel GEK-4. A Monte Carlo model has been developed, which includes a source, a neutron guide system and an experimental setup for search for the electric dipole moment of a neutron, taking into account their real location in the main hall of the reactor. Using the developed computer model the density of ultracold neutrons in the setup was obtained, which is 200 cm–3. It is 50 times higher than at the source at the Institut Laue-Langevin (Grenoble, France). This density will allow to achieve a sensitivity of measurements in the experiment of 1 × 10–27 electrons cm/year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The PIK reactor at NRC "Kurchatov Institute"—PNPI is going to be equipped with a high-flux Ultra Cold Neutron (UCN) source for fundamental physics researches. The UCN source will use superfluid helium, which will make possible to achieve the density of UCN 2.2 × 103 cm–3, that has not yet been achieved anywhere in the world. The UCN source will be installed on the GEK-4 channel, which will make possible to obtain a low value of heat influx to cryogenic vessels from reactor radiation. The heat removal from the UCN source vessel will be implemented by using a heat exchanger. The calculated UCN density in the EDM spectrometer chamber at the PIK is going to be 200 cm–3, which is 20 times higher than the existing UCN densities in the world. For a new UCN source based on superfluid helium, an extensive research program has been developed in field of the physics of fundamental interactions, including the search for a nonzero neutron EDM, precision measurement of the neutron lifetime, and search for mirror dark matter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The neutron's lifetime is a critical parameter in the standard model. Its measurements, particularly measurements using both beamline and ultracold neutron storage techniques, have revealed significant tension. In this work, we review the status of the tension between various measurements, especially in light of the insights provided by the β -decay correlation measurements. We revisit the lifetime measurement in a material storage chamber, dominated by losses from scattering off the walls of the storage chamber. The neutron energy spectra and associated uncertainties were, for the first time, well-characterized using storage data alone. Such models have applications in the extraction of the mean time between wall bounces, which is a key parameter for neutron storage disappearance experiments in search of neutron oscillation. A comparison between the loss model and the number of neutrons stored in a single chamber allowed us to extract a neutron lifetime of τ n * = 880 (+ 158 / − 78) stat. (+ 230 / − 114) sys. s   (68.3 %   C. I.) . Though the uncertainty of this lifetime is not competitive with currently available measurements, the highlight of this work is that we precisely identified the systematic sources of uncertainty that contribute to the neutron lifetime measurements in material storage bottles, namely from the uncertainty in the energy spectra, as well as from the storage chamber surface parameters of the Fermi potential and loss per bounce. In doing so, we highlight the underestimation of the uncertainties in the previous Monte Carlo simulations of experiments using the technique of ultracold neutron storage in material bottles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ultracold neutron (UCN) source at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) provides high intensities of storable neutrons for fundamental physics experiments. The neutron velocity spectrum parallel to the beamline axis was determined by time-of-flight spectroscopy using a neutron chopper. In particular, the temporal evolution of the spectrum during neutron production and UCN storage in the source storage volume was investigated and compared to Monte Carlo simulation results. A softening of the measured spectrum from a mean velocity of 7.7(1)–5.1(1) m s - 1 occurred within the first 30 s after the proton beam pulse had impinged on the spallation target. A spectral hardening was observed over longer time scales of one measurement day, consistent with the effect of surface degradation of the solid deuterium moderator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem of finding the depolarization losses of neutrons is investigated in connection with the need to determine the systematic error for experiments with magnetic storage of ultracold neutrons in traps. In this paper, we consider three methods to estimate the neutrons depolarization probability: classical, quantum mechanical and approximate one. They are used to estimate the depolarization probability of ultracold neutrons in two magnetic traps: the trap developed in Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and the one designed in the neutron physics laboratory of "NRC Kurchatov Institute"—PNPI. It is shown that all three methods are successfully used to estimate depolarization. This is of particular importance to compare of theoretical predictions with the results of measurement in experiments to determine the neutron lifetime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The physics model of a next-generation spallation-driven high-current ultracold neutron (UCN) source capable of delivering an extracted UCN rate of around an order of magnitude higher than the strongest proposed sources, and around three orders of magnitude higher than existing sources, is presented. This UCN-current-optimized source would dramatically improve cutting-edge UCN measurements that are currently statistically limited. A novel "Inverse Geometry" design is used with 40 l of superfluid 4 He (He-II), which acts as the converter of cold neutrons to UCNs, cooled with state-of-the-art subcooled cryogenic technology to ∼ 1.6 K. Our source design is optimized for a 100 W maximum heat load constraint on the He-II and its vessel. In this paper, we first explore modifying the Lujan Center Mark-3 target for UCN production as a benchmark. In our Inverse Geometry, the spallation target is wrapped symmetrically around the cryogenic UCN converter to permit raster scanning the proton beam over a relatively large volume of tungsten spallation target to reduce the demand on the cooling requirements, which makes it reasonable to assume that water edge-cooling only is sufficient. Our design is refined in several steps to reach a UCN production rate P UCN = 2.1 × 10 9 s − 1 under our other restriction of 1 MW maximum available proton beam power. We then study the effects of the He-II scattering kernel used as well as reductions in P UCN due to pressurization to reach P UCN = 1.8 × 10 9 s − 1 . Finally, we provide a design for the UCN extraction system that takes into account the required He-II heat transport properties and implementation of a He-II containment foil that allows UCN transmission. We estimate a total useful UCN current from our source of R use ≈ 5 × 10 8 s − 1 from an 18 cm diameter guide ∼ 5 m from the source. Under a conservative "no return" (or "single passage") approximation, this rate can produce an extracted density of > --> 1 × 10 4 UCN cm − 3 in < 1000 l external experimental volumes with a 58 Ni (335 neV) cutoff potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The neutron optical Lloyd interferometer can serve as a potent experiment for probing fundamental physics beyond the standard models of particles and cosmology. In this article, we provide a full Green's function analysis of a Lloyd interferometer in the limit that the reflecting mirror extends to the screen. We consider two distinct situations: first, we will review the theoretical case of no external fields being present. Subsequently, we will analyze the case in which a gravitational field is acting on the neutrons. The latter case provides the theory necessary for using a Lloyd interferometer as a probe of gravitational fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experiment is being developed to determine the λ value (the ratio of the axial weak interaction constant GA to the vector constant GV) by a simultaneous measurement of electron (A) and neutrino (B) β‑decay asymmetries using the same setup. The λ measurement is based on the ratio: λ = (A – B)/(A + B). The simultaneous measurement of A and B on the same setup is recommended to be carried out using ultracold neutrons stored in the magnetic field of a superconducting solenoid. The proposed method for determining λ, firstly, makes it possible to disregard the contribution of the Fierz interference term, and, secondly, eliminates the necessity of accurate measurement of the neutron polarization. The presented method allows one to measure the λ value with an accuracy of 10–4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Possible systematic effects in experimental measurements of the lifetime of the neutron using magneto-gravitational traps to store ultracold neutrons have been discussed. Methods for the online detection of possible losses, including depolarization losses and a small heating of neutrons stored in a trap, have been proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, works on the construction and commission of a PIK reactor using an ultracold neutron source are underway. The source uses two stages of neutron moderation: superfluid helium and liquid deuterium. In order to maintain the isotopic purity of superfluid helium, it is proposed to use a liquefaction heat exchanger in which isotopically pure helium is liquefied and thermostated by industrial helium. The design of the heat exchanger is presented along with the results of the experiment on the liquefaction of 4He in the cryostat. According to the experiment, the condensation rate was measured and estimates were made of the filling time for a real source of ultracold neutrons at the PIK reactor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we model a complex for research based on a high-intensity source of ultracold neutrons at the PIK reactor. Superfluid helium is used as a converter of cold neutrons into ultracold ones. A model, which includes a source, a neutron-guide system, and experimental setups taking into account their real location in the main hall of the reactor is developed using the Monte Carlo method. Based on the simulation, it is found that in a closed source chamber, it is possible to obtain an ultracold-neutron density of 3.5 × 103 n/cm3. By means of calculations, the values of the sensitivity of the measuring setups for the search for the electric dipole moment of the neutron and for the measurement of the neutron lifetime at the PIK reactor are obtained. For the experiment on searching for the electric dipole moment of the neutron, it is found that the density of ultracold neutrons in the chambers of the spectrometer can be 200 n/cm3, which is 50 times better than that in the source at the Institute Laue-Langevin. For the experiment on measuring the neutron lifetime, it is found that the counts of the neutron detector can be increased by a factor of 16 compared to similar measurements at the reactor at the Institute Laue-Langevin. This indicates the possibility of achieving a statistical accuracy of the measurement result of 0.2 s at a similar measurement duration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The time evolution of a quantum wave packet in the linear gravity potential is known as Quantum Bouncing Ball. The qBounce collaboration recently observed such a system by dropping wave packets of ultracold neutrons by a height of roughly 30 microns. In this article, space and momentum spectra as well as Wigner functions of the neutron wave functions in the gravitational field of the Earth are analyzed. We investigate the quantum states in the "preparation region", into which they transition after exiting a narrow double-mirror system and where we would expect to observe free fall and bounces in classical physics. For this, we start from the stationary solutions and eigenvalues of the Schrödinger equation in terms of Airy functions and their zeros. Subsequently, we examine space and momentum distributions as well as Wigner functions in phase space for pure and mixed quantum states. The possible influence of Yukawa-like forces for small distances of several micrometers from the mirror is included through first order perturbation calculations. Those allow us to study the resulting modifications of space and momentum distributions, and phase space functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fluoropolymer CYTOP was investigated in order to evaluate its suitability as a coating material for ultracold neutron (UCN) storage vessels. Using neutron reflectometry on CYTOP-coated silicon wafers, its neutron optical potential was measured to be 115.2(2) neV. UCN storage measurements were carried out in a 3.8 l CYTOP-coated aluminum bottle, in which the storage time constant was found to increase from 311(9) s at room temperature to 564(7) s slightly above 10 K. By combining experimental storage data with simulations of the UCN source, the neutron loss factor of CYTOP is estimated to decrease from 1.1(1) × 10 - 4 to 2.7(2) × 10 - 5 at these temperatures, respectively. These results are of particular importance to the next-generation superthermal UCN source SuperSUN, currently under construction at the Institut Laue-Langevin, for which CYTOP is a possible top-surface coating in the UCN production volume. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient neutron transport is a key ingredient to the performance of ultracold neutron (UCN) sources, important to meeting the challenges placed by high precision fundamental physics experiments. At the Paul Scherrer Institute's UCN source we have been continuously improving our understanding of the UCN source parameters by performing a series of studies to characterize neutron production and moderation, and UCN production, extraction, and transport efficiency to the beamport. The present study on the absolute UCN transport efficiency completes our previous publications. We report on complementary measurements, namely one on the height-dependent UCN density and a second on the transmission of a calibrated quantity of UCN over a ∼ 16 m long UCN guide section connecting one beamport via the source storage vessel to another beamport. These allow us quantifying and optimizing the performance of the guide system based on extensive Monte Carlo simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have developed a two-dimensional neutron imager based on a semiconductor pixelated sensor, especially designed for experiments measuring of a spatial and a temporal behavior of quantum bound states of ultra-cold neutrons. Through these measurements, we expect to measure the ratio between the inertial and gravitational masses of neutrons and to test the equivalence principle in the quantum regime. As one of the principal neutron imagers, we fabricated a sensor with a sandwich configuration, named 10B-INTPIX4-sw, and tested its response to ultra-cold neutrons at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE). We observed simultaneous events on both sandwiching sensors without significant loss of detection efficiency. The efficiency was evaluated to be about 16%, relative to the 10B/ZnS reference detector. The coincidence condition reduces its efficiency by a factor of about 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the Forschungs-Neutronenquelle Heinz Maier-Leibnitz (FRM II) of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) a new source for ultra-cold neutrons (UCN) with a solid deuterium converter is currently under construction. This summary paper shall give an overview of the project and its current status. Research results concerning converter preparation, para-to-ortho conversion, radiation effects and neutron transport, which have been achieved in the last years, are presented and their relevance and transferability for the design of a future UCN source at the European Spallation Source (ESS) are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This note proposes a new concept for the production of ultracold neutrons (UCNs) in a decelerating trap. UCNs are widely used in the physics of elementary particles and fundamental interactions, and can potentially be used in studies of condensed matter. However, most of these studies are limited by the available UCN densities and fluxes. One of the ways to increase them is to extract more neutrons from the full phase space of a source and better exploit peak fluxes in pulsed neutron sources, orders of magnitude larger than the mean values. For instance, at ESS, the pulsed flux will be a factor of ~25 larger than the mean flux of ILL at nominal power. Here, a concept of UCN sources is proposed, which allows to implement this idea. We propose to produce very cold neutrons (VCNs) in converters located in a neutron source, extract and slow them down to UCNs by a decelerating magnetic or material trap. As shown in this paper, for both pulsed and continuous neutron sources, this method could provide a high conversion efficiency of VCNs to UCNs with low losses of density in the phase space. More detailed calculations and the proposals for concrete technical designs are going to be developed in future publications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses design principles and possible performances of an "in-beam" ultracold neutron (UCN) source for the European Spallation Source (ESS). The key components of the proposed neutron delivery system are nested-mirror optics (NMO), which image the bright neutron emission surface of the large liquid-deuterium moderator, studied within the HighNESS project, onto a remotely located superfluidhelium converter. Bandpass supermirrors, with optional polarization capability, enable the selective transport of those neutrons that are most effective for UCN production, exploiting the single-phonon conversion process that is possible for neutrons having wavelengths within a narrow range centered on 8.9 ° A. NMO are capable of extracting and refocusing neutrons with small transport losses under the large solid angle available at the ESS Large Beam Port (LBP), allowing the converter to be placed far away from the high-radiation area in the ESS shielding bunker, where the source stays accessible for trouble-shooting while facilitating a low-background environment for nearby UCN experiments. Various configurations of the beam and converter are possible, including a large-volume converter -- with or without a magnetic reflector -- for a large total UCN production rate, or a beam focused onto a small converter for highest possible UCN density. The source performances estimated by first simulations of a baseline version presented in this paper, including a saturated UCN density on the order of 105 cm-3, motivate further study and the development of NMO beyond the first prototypes that have been recently investigated experimentally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low counting statistics is one of the most important challenges in modern experiments with ultracold neutrons (UCN). UCN densities in superthermal sources based on superfluid helium are normally much higher than those after UCN delivery to ex-situ volumes. Therefore, and due to the vanishing neutron absorption of 4He, storage-based experiments performed in-situ promise significant sensitivity gains. Scalable measurements offer a promising path to simultaneously address the inefficient use of cold neutron beams as precursors for UCN production in 4He, by recuperating the unused beam fraction, and confront the practical challenges of large-scale UCN infrastructure. We suggest strategies for the development of modular cryogenic cells, propose a novel approach for in-situ UCN detection, and discuss the ultimate statistical reach of such a multiplexed experiment for measuring the neutron's permanent electric dipole moment (EDM). While dedicated research and development are needed to evaluate the feasibility for many requirements, a neutron EDM measurement with sensitivity well beyond 10-28 e cm seems possible. Such an experiment could be pursued at any compatible cold neutron beamline, e.g., at the Institut Laue--Langevin, or later using the ANNI facility or large beam port (LBP) at the European Spallation Source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ESS ERIC neutron source design includes a helium cooled tungsten spallation target and a liquid hydrogen moderator, enclosed in a vacuum vessel (the monolith vessel). The neutron source and moderator are shielded by stainless steel and casted iron to block neutron and gamma radiation emitted in directions other than along the neutron beam ports. After the ESS concept design was approved, questions were raised if it was possible to introduce a UCN/VCN (Ultra Cold Neutron/Very Cold Neutron) source into the ESS design. Since the shielding concept of the monolith vessel is to 100% fill the monolith void except for the proton and neutron beam paths, there are no cavities in the monolith vessel left, where one could easily place a UCN/VCN source. An additional challenge is the pipe routing for the UCN/VCN cooling media. However, some of the shielding blocks and monolith components are removable and could possibly be redesigned, enabling implementation of a UCN/VCN source. This article presents a feasibility study how to physically introduce a UCN/VCN source in the present ESS design, focusing on the geometrical possibilities. Four possible locations for the UCN/VCN source were identified, which are considered to be feasible but will require some redesign of the monolith vessel shielding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new source of ultracold neutrons (UCNs), developed at the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) and named SuperSUN, is currently being commissioned. Its operational principle is the conversion of cold neutrons, delivered by ILL's existing beam H523, to UCNs in a vessel filled with superfluid helium-4, wherein the neutron's energy and momentum are transferred by inelastic scattering to phonons in the superfluid. The inverse Boltzmann-suppressed process is negligible at temperatures below 0.6 K, enabling long storage times and high in-situ UCN densities as demonstrated at the ILL for two prototype sources. These two prototypes are installed at secondary beams behind crystal monochromators, whereas a primary beam with a white cold spectrum illuminates the SuperSUN conversion volume. This provides not only higher intensity around the wavelength 0.89 nm where the dominant single-phonon process for UCN production takes place, but also a contribution to UCN production by multi-phonon processes. In the first phase of the project, material walls will trap the UCNs, while in the second phase an octupole magnet will generate a 2.1 T magnetic field at the edge of the conversion volume. For low-field-seeking UCNs, this field increases the trapping potential and reduces wall losses so that the accumulated UCNs are spin-polarized as a result. SuperSUN aims to deliver the highest possible UCN densities to external storage experiments, the first of which will be the PanEDM experiment measuring the neutron's permanent electric dipole moment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have experimentally studied growing a large (about 1 liter) ortho-deuterium crystal in a real UCN source cryostat and recorded the growing process optically using a camera. The best quality was observed when growing the crystal directly from a vapor phase. The crystal was grown at different mass flows of deuterium and annealed at different temperatures. Optimum conditions were found for both, obtaining an optically transparent crystal and cooling it down with minimal damage. We found that the quality, final shape and changes during annealing of the crystal are very much dependent on the temperature profile of the cryostat walls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reviews the development of various sources for ultracold neutrons (UCNs) at the Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute (PNPI). For 45 years, PNPI has proposed and manufactured cryogenic devices for neutron conversion to low energies. Based on beryllium, hydrogen and deuterium, they can be operated in the intense radiation fields near the core of a nuclear reactor. A more recently launched UCN source development utilizes superfluid helium (He-II) as conversion medium. Initially proposed and designed for PNPI's old WWR-M reactor, the project has been reshaped to equip the institute's PIK reactor with a modern UCN source of this type. The projected UCN density in the closed source chamber is 2.2 x 10³ cm-3, which, as calculations of neutron transport show, will provide 200 cm-3 in the chambers of a neutron EDM spectrometer connected to the source by a UCN guide. Experiments at PNPI with a full-scale UCN source model have demonstrated that a heat load of 60 W can be removed from the He-II in the converter at a temperature of 1.37 K. This fact confirms the practical possibility to implement low-temperature converters under "in-pile" conditions with large heat inflows. The review concludes with a presentation of various proposed options for a He-II based UCN source at the European Spallation Source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the international nEDM collaboration at the Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI) took data in 2017 that covered a considerable fraction of the parameter space of claimed potential signals of hypothetical neutron (n) to mirror-neutron ( n ′ ) transitions, it could not test all claimed signal regions at various mirror magnetic fields. Therefore, a new study of n − n ′ oscillations using stored ultracold neutrons (UCNs) is underway at PSI, considerably expanding the reach in parameter space of mirror magnetic fields ( B ′ ) and oscillation time constants ( τ n n ′ ). The new apparatus is designed to test for the anomalous loss of stored ultracold neutrons as a function of an applied magnetic field. The experiment is distinguished from its predecessors by its very large storage vessel (1.47 m3), enhancing its statistical sensitivity. In a test experiment in 2020 we have demonstrated the capabilities of our apparatus. However, the full analysis of our recent data is still pending. Based on already demonstrated performance, we will reach sensitivity to oscillation times τ n n ′ / cos (β) well above a hundred seconds, with β being the angle between B ′ and the applied magnetic field B. The scan of B will allow the finding or the comprehensive exclusion of potential signals reported in the analysis of previous experiments and suggested to be consistent with neutron to mirror-neutron oscillations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Baryon number violation is a key ingredient of baryogenesis. It has been hypothesized that there could also be a parity-conjugated copy of the standard model particles, called mirror particles. The existence of such a mirror universe has specific testable implications, especially in the domain of neutral particle oscillation, viz. the baryon number violating neutron to mirror-neutron ( n − n ′ ) oscillation. Consequently, there were many experiments that have searched for n − n ′ oscillation, and imposed constraints upon the parameters that describe it. Recently, further analysis on some of these results have identified anomalies which could point to the detection of n − n ′ oscillation. All the previous efforts searched for n − n ′ oscillation by comparing the relative number of ultracold neutrons that survive after a period of storage for one or both of the two cases: (i) comparison of zero applied magnetic field to a non-zero applied magnetic field, and (ii) comparison where the orientation of the applied magnetic field was reversed. However, n − n ′ oscillations also lead to variations in the precession frequency of polarized neutrons upon flipping the direction of the applied magnetic field. Precession frequencies are measured, very precisely, by experiments searching for the electric dipole moment. For the first time, we used the data from the latest search for the neutron electric dipole moment to constrain n − n ′ oscillation. After compensating for the systematic effects that affect the ratio of precession frequencies of ultracold neutrons and cohabiting 199 Hg-atoms, chief among which was due to their motion in non-uniform magnetic field, we constrained any further perturbations due to n − n ′ oscillation. We thereby provide a lower limit on the n − n ′ oscillation time constant of τ n n ′ / | cos (β) | > 5.7 s , 0.36 T ′ < B ′ < 1.01 T ′ (95% C.L.), where β is the angle between the applied magnetic field and the ambient mirror magnetic field. This constraint is the best available in the range of 0.36 T ′ < B ′ < 0.40 T ′ . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adam Holley grew up in Raleigh. North Carolina, but attended college in Penns~ hania, where he earned a B.S. in ph>sics and mathematics from Haverford College. Uncertain about whether theoretical or experimental physics was right for him, he temporized by teaching high school physics in New York Cith where he had the good fortune to collaborate on the development and teaching of a three-vear research course for high school students. That experience ultimately helped him decide to become an experimentalist. This he did at North Carolina State University, joining a group of scientists developing the United States' first ultracoId neutron (UCN) source at Los Alamos National Lab. He earned his Ph.D. as part of the associated UCNA experiment that for the first time used UCN to measure the neutron beta decay asymmetry. During his subsequent postdoc at Indiana 1/niversity. Dr. Holley got involved in another beta decay experiment called UCNr. He continued his invohement, with that effort when he joined the facultY at Tennessee Tech, uhere he leverages unique aspects of LCN physics to involve undergraduates in the work. The production of energetic exotic particles has long been a priman method for discovering the rules that underlie what ue obsene about the universe. There are, however. a number of gaps in this understanding~ which the study of more familiar systems, such as neutrons, atoms, or molecules, can help elucidate. As the overall precision of these experimental efforts increases. there are a growing. number of tantalizing anomalies. any of which could point the „ay to a shift in our understanding of how the universe formed. what makes it up, and whether ours is the only universe or is one of many universes. The race to discover new fundamental physical behavior currently features a diverse array of high-precision approaches. spanning an enormous range of energies. "Ultracold" neutrons (UCN). with twent, orders of magnitude smaller energies than particles produced at the Large Hadron Collider, provide one example of how low-energ~ measurements can facilitate the requirement for high precision. A classic example of a UCN-based experiment is determination of the free neutron lifetime, an empirical observable involved in a number of potentially interesting anomalies. Ali experiment called UCNr that operates at Los Alamos National Laboratory has set the standard for precise determinations of this quantio. Using t. CNT as an example of the physics, engineering. and computational challenges high-precision work entails, this talk will describe the ongoing race to answer some long-standing questions about the uni, erse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents a neutron thermalization unit, “a source of ultracold neutrons”, designed for basic research in a beam research hull reactor. For new-generation experiments in the fields of weak-interaction physics and astrophysics, statistical accuracy associated with high density of ultracold neutrons is necessary. To achieve high density for helium-4 in the source chamber, which is used as a converter of cold neutrons into the ultracold ones, it should be at the temperature of about 1 K. In case of applying vacuum pumping of helium-4 vapors in ultracold neutron sources, it has not yet succeeded to obtain a temperature below 1.4 K. To achieve lower temperatures, the required saturated vapor pressure should be less than 50 Pa, which is impossible due to hydraulic losses. It is proposed to use a heat exchanger where helium-4 will be cooled by helium-3. The reason is that the temperature of helium-3 is more efficiently maintained by vacuum pumping since its saturated vapor pressure is an order of magnitude higher than that of helium-4. However, between two heliums the temperature drop occurs due to Kapitsa jump and thermal bridge between the helium capsule and heat exchanger. To solve this problem, we proposed optimization using numerical simulation on the basis of a mathematical model of thermal processes in a chamber with superfluid helium. The model takes into account the contact thermal resistance of Khalatnikov acoustic mismatch model with a correction coefficient. An example of such optimization is presented for the ultracold neutron source located in Gatchina. The mathematical model was implemented in the general solver based on the finite element method. A heat exchanger design geometry was proposed with the temperature drop equal to 0.2 K; the temperature of helium-4 was achieved by vacuum pumping of helium-3 vapors at the pressure of 850 Pa. The temperature fall from 1.4 K to 1 K will increase the density of ultracold neutrons by almost an order of magnitude, and increase statistical accuracy of experiments with ultracold neutrons carried out in a non-beam research reactor.

It is shown that rough inner walls of a trap of ultracold neutrons can be coated with a superfluid helium film much thicker than the depth of penetration of ultracold neutrons into helium. This coating should reduce the rate of loss of ultracold neutrons caused by absorption in the walls of the trap by orders of magnitude. It is demonstrated that triangular roughness is more efficient than rectangular for the reduction of the rate of loss of ultracold neutrons. Triangular roughness is more easily implemented technically and such diffraction gratings are fabricated industrially. Other methods are proposed to increase the thickness of the protective helium film. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the design of a next-generation experiment, n2EDM, currently under construction at the ultracold neutron source at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) with the aim of carrying out a high-precision search for an electric dipole moment of the neutron. The project builds on experience gained with the previous apparatus operated at PSI until 2017, and is expected to deliver an order of magnitude better sensitivity with provision for further substantial improvements. An overview is of the experimental method and setup is given, the sensitivity requirements for the apparatus are derived, and its technical design is described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we present results of the long-range electromagnetic Casimir-Polder interactions between two neutrons, a neutron and a conducting wall, and a neutron between two walls. As input, we use the dynamic dipole polarizabilities of the neutron fitted to chiral EFT results up to the pion production threshold and at the onset of the Delta resonance. Our work can be relevant to the physics of confined ultracold neutrons inside bottles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been proposed that there could be a mirror copy of the standard model particles, restoring the parity symmetry in the weak interaction on the global level. Oscillations between a neutral standard model particle, such as the neutron, and its mirror counterpart could potentially answer various standing issues in physics today. Astrophysical studies and terrestrial experiments led by ultracold neutron storage measurements have investigated neutron to mirror-neutron oscillations and imposed constraints on the theoretical parameters. Recently, further analysis of these ultracold neutron storage experiments has yielded statistically significant anomalous signals that may be interpreted as neutron to mirror-neutron oscillations, assuming nonzero mirror magnetic fields. The neutron electric dipole moment collaboration performed a dedicated search at the Paul Scherrer Institute and found no evidence of neutron to mirror-neutron oscillations. Thereby, the following new lower limits on the oscillation time were obtained: τnn′>352 s at B′=0 (95% C.L.), τnn′>6s for 0.4μT9s for 5.0μT

In this paper, we report studies of the Fermi potential and loss per bounce of ultracold neutrons (UCNs) on a deuterated scintillator (Eljen-299-02D). These UCN properties of the scintillator enable its use in a wide variety of applications in fundamental neutron research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of new and highly precise neutron β decay data is reviewed. We focus on recent results from neutron lifetime, β asymmetry, and electron–neutrino correlation experiments. From these results, weak interaction parameters are extracted with unprecedented precision, which is possible also because of progress in effective field theory and lattice QCD. Limits on New Physics beyond the Standard Model derived from neutron decay data are sharper than those derived from high-energy experiments, except for processes involving right-handed neutrinos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The puzzle remains in the large discrepancy between neutron lifetime measured by the two distinct experimental approaches—counts of beta decays in a neutron beam and storage of ultracold neutrons in a potential trap, namely, the beam method versus the bottle method. In this paper, we propose a new experiment to measure the neutron lifetime in a cold neutron (CN) beam with a sensitivity goal of 0.1% or sub-1 s. The neutron beta decays will be counted in a superfluid helium-4 scintillation detector at 0.5 K, and the neutron flux will be simultaneously monitored by the helium-3 captures in the same volume. The CN beam must be of wavelength λ > 16.5 Ĺ to eliminate scattering with superfluid helium. A new precise measurement of neutron lifetime with the beam method of unique inherent systematic effects will greatly advance in resolving the puzzle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]