6533b86efe1ef96bd12cc0b3
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Observation of Gravitationally Induced Vertical Striation of Polarized Ultracold Neutrons by Spin-Echo Spectroscopy.
D. RebreyendZ. ChowdhuriA. KozelaMalgorzata KasprzakG. BanPhilip HarrisY. LemièreJ. A. ThorneJ. KrempelS. RocciaC. Plonka-spehrM. RawlikWerner HeilPhilipp Schmidt-wellenburgB. FrankeJ. M. PendleburyH.-c. KochGuillaume PignolV. HélaineD. RozpedzikM. DaumMartin FertlOscar Naviliat-cuncicJacek ZejmaE. WurstenY. KermaidicS. AfachT. LefortZoran D. GrujićW. C. GriffithAntoine WeisN. J. AyresA. MtchedlishviliM. MusgraveNathal SeverijnsFlorian M. PiegsaPaul E. KnowlesG. QuéménerBernhard LaussP. N. PrashanthGeza ZsigmondS. KomposchGeorg BisonKazimierz BodekJ. ZennerD. RiesG. WyszynskiKlaus Kirchsubject
Physics - Instrumentation and DetectorsDephasingGeneral Physics and AstronomyFOS: Physical sciences[PHYS.NEXP]Physics [physics]/Nuclear Experiment [nucl-ex]7. Clean energy01 natural sciencesResonance (particle physics)Nuclear physics0103 physical sciencesNeutronNuclear Experiment (nucl-ex)010306 general physicsNuclear ExperimentNuclear ExperimentQCPhysicsNeutrons010308 nuclear & particles physicsInstrumentation and Detectors (physics.ins-det)Models TheoreticalNeutron spectroscopyMagnetic fieldCold TemperatureElectric dipole momentKineticsSpin echoUltracold neutronsAtomic physicsGravitationdescription
We describe a spin-echo method for ultracold neutrons (UCNs) confined in a precession chamber and exposed to a $|B_0|=1~\text{\mu T}$ magnetic field. We have demonstrated that the analysis of UCN spin-echo resonance signals in combination with knowledge of the ambient magnetic field provides an excellent method by which to reconstruct the energy spectrum of a confined ensemble of neutrons. The method takes advantage of the relative dephasing of spins arising from a gravitationally induced striation of stored UCN of different energies, and also permits an improved determination of the vertical magnetic-field gradient with an exceptional accuracy of $1.1~\text{pT/cm}$. This novel combination of a well-known nuclear resonance method and gravitationally induced vertical striation is unique in the realm of nuclear and particle physics and should prove to be invaluable for the assessment of systematic effects in precision experiments such as searches for an electric dipole moment of the neutron or the measurement of the neutron lifetime.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-06-01 | Physical review letters |