Darmstadt 2016 – scientific programme
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HK: Fachverband Physik der Hadronen und Kerne
HK 26: Fundamental Symmetries
HK 26.2: Talk
Tuesday, March 15, 2016, 17:00–17:15, S1/01 A02
The neutron lifetime experiment τSPECT — •Marcus Beck1,2, Klaus Eberhardt1,2, Christopher Geppert1, Jan Haack1, Werner Heil1, Jan Kahlenberg1, Jan Karch1, Sergey Karpuk1, Fabian Kories1, Kim Ross1, Christian Siemensen1, Yuri Sobolev1, and Norbert Trautmann1 — 1Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz — 2Helmholtz-Institut Mainz
The decay of the free neutron into a proton, electron and antineutrino is the prototype of semi-leptonic weak decays and plays a key role in particle physics and astrophysics.
The most precise measurements of the neutron lifetime to date use ultra-cold neutrons (UCN) stored in material vessels. Their accuracy is limited by systematic errors, mainly caused by anomalous losses of UCN during storage at the vessel walls. With the magnetic storage of neutrons these systematic limitations can be avoided and an accuracy of 0.1-0.3 s for the lifetime of the neutron can be reached.
The neutron lifetime experiment τSPECT has been set up a the research reactor TRIGA Mainz. τSPECT uses a combination of magnetic multipole fields for radial storage and the superconducting aSPECT magnet for longitudinal storage of UCN. In this presentation, the status of τSPECT and the results of first commissioning measurements will be presented.