Detection System for Neutron $\beta$ Decay Correlations in the UCNB and Nab experiments

Abstract

We describe a detection system designed for precise measurements of angular correlations in neutron $\beta$ decay. The system is based on thick, large area, highly segmented silicon detectors developed in collaboration with Micron Semiconductor, Ltd. The prototype system meets specifications for $\beta$ electron detection with energy thresholds below 10 keV, energy resolution of $\sim$3 keV FWHM, and rise time of $\sim$50 ns with 19 of the 127 detector pixels instrumented. Using ultracold neutrons at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center, we have demonstrated the coincident detection of $\beta$ particles and recoil protons from neutron $\beta$ decay. The fully instrumented detection system will be implemented in the UCNB and Nab experiments, to determine the neutron $\beta$ decay parameters $B$, $a$, and $b$.

Copyright 2016. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

References in corpus (8)

• Low Energy Precision Test of Supersymmetry
• Precision Measurement of the Neutron Beta-Decay Asymmetry
• Focal-plane detector system for the KATRIN experiment
• Measurement of the Neutrino Asymmetry Parameter B in Neutron Decay
• Measurement of the Proton Asymmetry Parameter C in Neutron Beta Decay
• New precision measurements of free neutron beta decay with cold neutrons
• Measurement of the neutron lifetime with ultra-cold neutrons stored in a magneto-gravitational trap
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