Nuclear Commons^™

On Resolving The Neutron Lifetime Puzzle, Polievkt Perov

College of Arts & Sciences Faculty Works

The neutron lifetime puzzle, characterized by significantly different lifetime values obtained from bottle vs beam experiments, may stem from differences in how decayed neutrons are counted. Neutron decay is a beta-decay process producing a proton, an electron, and a neutrino. In bottle experiments, the number of decayed neutrons is measured directly. In beam experiments, this number is inferred indirectly by counting the protons resulting from neutron decays. It is proposed that in beam experiments, some protons may capture electrons and form neutral hydrogen atoms, which go undetected by proton detectors. Consequently, not all neutron decay events are counted, leading to …

Global Analysis Of The Neutron Magnetic Form Factor, Joseph P. Jayne

Honors Theses and Capstones

Protons and neutrons, the nucleons, are made up of smaller particles called quarks. Nucleons have three valence quarks, which are the dominant contributors to its properties, as well as sea quarks (quark-antiquark pairs) and gluons. The distribution of the charge and magnetization of these particles is described by the electric and magnetic form factors. These form factors can be measured with scattering experiments since they directly affect the particle’s cross section. Neutron form factors are challenging to measure because a pure neutron target will decay very fast and is not viable for experiments. Instead, targets like 2H and 3H are …

Development Of A Novel Beam-Type Neutron Lifetime Experiment Using Ultracold Neutrons, Nicholas Floyd

Theses and Dissertations--Physics and Astronomy

Precision measurements of the neutron lifetime are critical to tests of the Standard Model. The CKM quark mixing matrix has recently been shown to deviate from unitarity in the top row, motivating the development of alternative extractions of the first element. Complementary measurements of the neutron’s lifetime and decay correlations can be used to accomplish this.

While the reported neutron lifetime by the Particle Data Group is taken from ultracold neutron (UCN) measurements, a separate class of experiments suggest a value in four sigma disagreement, meriting further study. The goal of the UCNProBe experiment at Los Alamos National Laboratory is …

Design Of The Highly Uniform Magnetic Field And Spin-Transport Magnetic Field Coils For The Los Alamos National Lab Neutron Electric Dipole Moment Experiment, Jared Brewington

Theses and Dissertations--Physics and Astronomy

Charge-Parity (CP) violation is one of Sakharov's three conditions which serve as guidelines for the generation of a matter-antimatter asymmetry in the early universe. The Standard Model (SM) of particle physics contains sources of CP violation which can be used to predict the baryon asymmetry. The observed baryon asymmetry is not predicted from SM calculations, meaning there must be additional sources of CP violation beyond the Standard Model (BSM) to generate the asymmetry. Permanent electric dipole moments (EDMs), which are inherently parity- and time reversal- violating, present a promising avenue for the discovery of new sources of CP violation to …

Energy Analysis For Neutron Induced Ternary Fission Events In The Niffte Fission Time Projection Chamber, Vanessa Aguilar

Physics

In this paper, energy analyses were made for investigating ternary fission in neutron-induced fission of U235 and U238 using the Neutron Induced Fission Fragment Tracking Experiment (NIFFTE) collaboration’s fission time projection chamber (TPC) data. The Neutron kinetic energy was calculated from neutron time of flight (nToF) for energy ranges of 0.1 to 32 MeV. Along with this, the Stopping and Range of Ions in Matter (SRIM) software was used to simulate alphas going through an argon gas target in order to calibrate observed energy loss of alphas from ternary fission.

Extraction Of Deep Inelastic Cross Sections Using A 10.4 Gev Electron Beam And A Polarized Helium-3 Target, Murchhana Roy

Theses and Dissertations--Physics and Astronomy

Experiment E12-06-121 at Jefferson Lab aims to do a precision measurement of the neutron spin structure function g₂ using inclusive inelastic scattering of electrons over a large kinematic range of x and Q². The third moment of the linear combination of the spin structure functions g₁ and g₂, d₂, is one of the cleanest higher twist observables and contains information on quark-gluon correlations. It is connected to the "color polarizability" or "color Lorentz force" of the nucleon. The experimental data taking was successfully conducted in Hall C using a longitudinally polarized electron …

Single-Neutron States In 51ti Via Neutron Transfer Reaction To 50ti, Jessica Nebel-Crosson

Physics and Astronomy Honors Papers

My project clarifies previous measurements made for the high excitation states of titanium isotopes, specifically ⁵¹Ti. We used a single-neutron transfer reaction from a deuterium source and measured the energy difference between the initial energy of the deuterium source, the transferred neutron, and the free proton. Our analysis included creating angular distribution plots of the proton momentum and the loose assignments of the single-particle state nature for each excitation state. We took these measurements via the Super-Enge Split-Pole Spectrograph at Florida State University.

Fast Neutron Assay Of Elemental Content Of Bulk Samples, Calder Emerson Lane

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this research was to analyze the capabilities of fast neutrons in the detection and analysis of various isotopes in bulk samples. The deuterium-tritium (DT) fusion reaction generates highly penetrating, high-energy (14.1-MeV) neutrons which induce nuclear reactions in irradiated targets. Neutrons and gamma rays are generated in these reactions. Emitted gamma rays are characteristic of the emitter; the gamma spectrum enables stoichiometric identification of the assayed samples. Neutron backscattering can also be used for identification of the elemental composition of the sample.

This work had three objectives. The first objective was to develop a computational technique to model …

Study Of Cell Charging Effects For The Neutron Electric Dipole Moment Experiment At Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Mark Broering

Theses and Dissertations--Physics and Astronomy

The neutron electric dipole moment (nEDM) collaboration at the Spallation Neutron Source plans to use ultra-cold neutrons in superfluid helium to improve the nEDM limit by about two orders of magnitude. In this apparatus, neutrons are stored in poly(methyl methacrylate), PMMA, cells located in a strong, stable electric field. This electric field is produced by high voltage electrodes located outside of the neutron cells. Several sources generate charged particles inside the neutron cells. The electric field pulls these charges farther apart, attracting each to the oppositely charged electrode. As the charges build up on the cells walls, they create an …

Beryllium And Indium Activation Measurements Of Total Neutron Yield From A Pulsed Photoneutron Source, Kristina K. Brown

Physics & Astronomy ETDs

A pulsed photoneutron source consisting of a beryllium sphere and a 5 MeV endpoint 30 ns bremsstrahlung beam emanating from the Mercury pulsed-power source was assembled and tested in October 2017 at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) in Washington, D.C. [1]. The objective of this experiment was to verify the feasibility of using a pulsed power source to create a large number of photoneutrons in a short period of time, leveraging the low photoneutron production threshold of 9Be to maximize neutron production. Several diagnostics were deployed to characterize the source and target, including indium and beryllium activation detectors that measured …

Asymmetric Relativistic Fermi Gas Model For Quasielastic Lepton-Nucleus Scattering, M. B. Barbaro, A. De Pace, T. W. Donnelly, J. A. Caballero, G. D. Megias, J. W. Van Orden

Physics Faculty Publications

We develop an asymmetric relativistic Fermi gas model for the study of the electroweak nuclear response in the quasielastic region. The model takes into account the differences between neutron and proton densities in asymmetric (N> Z) nuclei, as well as differences in the neutron and proton separation energies. We present numerical results for both neutral and charged-current processes, focusing on nuclei of interest for ongoing and future neutrino oscillation experiments. We point out some important differences with respect to the commonly employed symmetric Fermi gas model.

Beam-Target Double-Spin Asymmetry In Quasielastic Electron Scattering Off The Deuteron With Clas, M. Mayer, S. E. Kuhn, K. P. Adhikari, Z. Akbar, S. Anefalos Pereira, G. Asryan, H. Avakian, R. A. Badui, J. Ball, N. A. Baltzell, S. Bueltmann, N. Guler, C. E. Hyde, M. Khachatryan, A. Klein, Y. Prok, F. Sabatie, B. Torayev, L. B. Weinstein

Physics Faculty Publications

Background: The deuteron plays a pivotal role in nuclear and hadronic physics, as both the simplest bound multinucleon system and as an effective neutron target. Quasielastic electron scattering on the deuteron is a benchmark reaction to test our understanding of deuteron structure and the properties and interactions of the two nucleons bound in the deuteron.

Purpose: The experimental data presented here can be used to test state-of-the-art models of the deuteron and the two-nucleon interaction in the final state after two-body breakup of the deuteron. Focusing on polarization degrees of freedom, we gain information on spin-momentum correlations in …

Neutron-Gamma Discrimination In Elpasolite Scintillator Detector, Brittany Morgan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Existing nuclear stockpiles and weapons-making capabilities imperil the global community. Current nonproliferation efforts involve the research and development of newer, more efficient detection systems that can be deployed for the interdiction and monitoring of special nuclear materials (SNM). Spontaneous and induced fission events in SNM produce neutrons and gamma rays, which can be detected and analyzed, in particular, using scintillator detectors. Various electronic data acquisition systems and data analysis methods have been employed to record and characterize neutron and photon signatures. The goal of this thesis is to develop a new method of discrimination between neutrons and photons in the …

Neutron Spectroscopy Using Lif Thin-Film Detectors, Michael A. Ford

Theses and Dissertations

A stacked array of segmented micro-structured semiconductor neutron detectors (MSNDs) has been fabricated to perform as a neutron spectrometer simultaneously capable of differentiating fast and thermal neutrons. The MSND devices consist of thin-film perforated diodes constructed from LiF powder back-filled into an etched silicon wafer. Geant4 simulations demonstrate than an eight-layer spectrometer consisting of alternating layers of MSND and hydrogenous moderator can successfully resolve neutron energies at a resolution dependent upon the number of layers and the thickness of the adjacent moderating materials. The simulated spectrometer response was compared to that obtained experimentally with mono-energetic neutrons from a D+D neutron …

Characterization Of A Boron Carbide Heterojunction Neutron Detector, James E. Bevins

Theses and Dissertations

New methods for neutron detection have become an important area of research in support of national security objectives. In support of this effort, p-type B₅C on n-type Si heterojunction diodes have been built and tested. This research sought to optimize the boron carbide (BC) diode by coupling the nuclear physics modeling capability of GEANT4 and TRIM with the semiconductor device simulation tools. Through an iterative modeling process of controllable parameters, optimal device construction was determined such detection efficiency and charge collection were optimized. This allows an estimation of expected charge collection and efficiency given a set of operating …

Exclusive Π- Electro-Production From The Neutron In The Resonance Region, Jixie Zhang

Physics Theses & Dissertations

The study of baryon resonances is crucial to our understanding of nucleon structure. Although the excited states of the proton have been studied in great detail, there are very few data available for the neutron resonances because of the difficulty inherent in obtaining a free neutron target. To overcome this limitation, the spectator tagging technique was used in one of the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS) collaboration experiments, Barely off-shell Nuclear Structure (BoNuS), in Hall-B at Jefferson Lab. We have constructed a radial time projection chamber (RTPC) based on the gaseous electron multiplier (GEM) technology to detect low momentum …

Electron Scattering From A High Momentum Neutron In Deuterium, Alexei V. Klimenko

Physics Theses & Dissertations

The deuterium nucleus is a system of two nucleons (proton and neutron) bound together. The configuration of the system is described by a quantum-mechanical wave function and the state of the nucleons at a given time is not known a priori. However, by detecting a backward going proton of moderate momentum in coincidence with a reaction taking place on the neutron in deuterium, the initial state of that neutron can be inferred if we assume that the proton was a spectator to the reaction. This method, known as spectator tagging, was used to study the electron scattering from high-momentum neutrons …