Köln 2025 – scientific programme

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HK: Fachverband Physik der Hadronen und Kerne

HK 54: Fundamental Symmetries II

HK 54.3: Talk

Thursday, March 13, 2025, 16:45–17:00, SR 0.01 Erw. Physik

Status of the neutron decay facility PERC and its main detector — •Lilli Löbell for the PERC collaboration — School of Natural Sciences, Technische Universität München, Germany

The decay of free neutrons is a powerful tool for precision tests of the Standard Model of particle physics. By determining decay correlation coefficients such as the beta asymmetry A, one can test the unitarity of the CKM matrix and search for physics beyond the Standard Model via new effective couplings.

The neutron decay spectrometer PERC (Proton Electron Radiation Channel), which is currently set up at the FRM II research reactor in Garching, aims to improve the accuracy of several correlation coefficients by one order of magnitude. PERC consists of a 12 m long superconducting magnet system, in which the neutron beam is contained by a non-depolarizing neutron guide. Electrons and protons produced in the neutron decay are guided by the magnetic field towards the main detector, which will initially be a scintillation detector with photomultiplier tube readout.

The talk will present the design of the main detector as well as the current status of the installation of PERC.

Keywords: Neutrons; Beta decay