Time Reversal, Neutron Structure, and Neutron Beta Decay

Regents Of The University Of Michigan - Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor MI

Investigators

Abstract

An experiment will be carried out at the NIST reactor cold neutron facility aimed at improving the current limits on time reversal invariance of particle interactions. The experiment is based on the beta-decay of polarized neutrons. Time reversal violation is a very important topic and of great current interest because it impacts, centrally, the question of how the universe evolved to contain a huge preponderance of matter over anti-matter. A second experiment will be carried out at Los Alamos using a cold, polarized neutron beam to study the weak interaction between neutrons and protons in the capture process leading to deuterium. This measurement will place limits on the parity violating parts of the nucleon-nucleon force. In addition, this apparatus will be used in a neutron-electron scattering experiment designed to measure the neutron charge radius. Other development work will be carried out in laser optical pumping as connected with the production of polarized neutrons and nuclei, including radioactive species. Graduate student and postdocs are integral to the proposed research activities.