A Technique to measure the neutron lifetime from low earth orbit
199011 pages
Published in:
- Nucl.Instrum.Meth.A 287 (1990) 595-605
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Abstract: (Elsevier)
A new technique to measure the mean life of the neutron to beta decay, τ n , is described. It uses the fact that neutrons created in the atmosphere with energies below 0.65 eV are gravitationally bound. Consequently, in the absence of beta decay, upward- and downward-going neutron currents above the atmosphere would be equal. The actual ratio of these currents therefore provides a sensitive measure of τ n . An estimate of up-down countrates, of all known backgrounds, and of systematic uncertainties for a conceptual experiment indicates that an accuracy on τ n of better than 1% could be achieved using a properly designed sensor in low-Earth orbit.- n: semileptonic decay
- semileptonic decay: n
- n: lifetime
- counters and detectors: satellite
- effect: gravitation
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