A new operating mode in experiments searching for free neutron-antineutron oscillations based on coherent neutron and antineutron mirror reflections

Abstract

An observation of neutron-antineutron oscillations ($n-\bar{n}$), which violate both $B$ and $B-L$ conservation, would constitute a scientific discovery of fundamental importance to physics and cosmology. A stringent upper bound on its transition rate would make an important contribution to our understanding of the baryon asymmetry of the universe by eliminating the post-sphaleron baryogenesis scenario in the light quark sector. We show that one can design an experiment using slow neutrons that in principle can reach the required sensitivity of ${\tau }_{n-\bar{n}}\sim 10^{10}s$ in the oscillation time, an improvement of $\sim 10^4$ in the oscillation probability relative to the existing limit for free neutrons. This can be achieved by allowing both the neutron and antineutron components of the developing superposition state to coherently reflect from mirrors. We present a quantitative analysis of this scenario and show that, for sufficiently small transverse momenta of $n/\bar{n}$ and for certain choices of nuclei for the $n/\bar{n}$ guide material, the relative phase shift of the $n$ and $\bar{n}$ components upon reflection and the $\bar{n}$ annihilation rate can be small.

arXiv comment1 table

References in corpus (51)

• Data Tables for Lorentz and CPT Violation
• Electroweak baryogenesis
• Dark Matter, Baryogenesis and Neutrino Oscillations from Right Handed Neutrinos
• Mirror World and its Cosmological Consequences
• Neutron -- Mirror Neutron Oscillation: How Fast Might It Be?
• Neutron - Mirror Neutron Oscillations: How Fast Might They Be?
• Neutron scattering and extra short range interactions
• Neutron-Antineutron Oscillations: Theoretical Status and Experimental Prospects
• Characterization of a ballistic supermirror neutron guide
• Simplified models with baryon number violation but no proton decay
• Search for n-nbar oscillation in Super-Kamiokande
• Experimental search for neutron - mirror neutron oscillations using storage of ultracold neutrons
• Neutron-Anti-Neutron Oscillation: Theory and Phenomenology
• Neutrino oscillations and rare processes in models with a small extra dimension
• Post-Sphaleron Baryogenesis and an Upper Limit on the Neutron-Antineutron Oscillation Time
• Neutron to Mirror-Neutron Oscillations in the Presence of Mirror Magnetic Fields
• Quantum motion of a neutron in a wave-guide in the gravitational field
• n-nbar Oscillations in Models with Large Extra Dimensions
• Neutrino Mass Hierarchy and neutron-anti-neutron Oscillation from Baryogenesis
• Search for Neutron-Antineutron Oscillations Using Multiprong Events in Soudan 2
• Magnetic anomaly in UCN trapping: signal for neutron oscillations to parallel world?
• Search for neutron - mirror neutron oscillations in a laboratory experiment with ultracold neutrons
• Unified optical-model approach to low-energy antiproton annihilation on nuclei and to antiprotonic atoms
• CP Violating Baryon Oscillations
• Neutron-antineutron Oscillation and Baryonic Majoron: Low Scale Spontaneous Baryon Violation
• Neutrino Masses, Grand Unification, and Baryon Number Violation
• Realistic calculations of nuclear disappearance lifetimes induced by neutron-antineutron oscillations
• The search for neutron-antineutron oscillations at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory
• Observable Neutron-Antineutron Oscillations in Seesaw Models of Neutrino Mass
• Search for dinucleon decay into pions at Super-Kamiokande
• Neutron Disappearance and Regeneration from Mirror State
• Implications of an Improved Neutron-Antineutron Oscillation Search for Baryogenesis: A Minimal Effective Theory Analysis
• A Black Hole Conjecture and Rare Decays in Theories with Low Scale Gravity
• Baryogenesis and neutron-antineutron oscillation at TeV
• Observable Neutron Antineutron Oscillation in High Scale Seesaw Models
• Incoherent dynamics in neutron-matter interaction
• Neutron--Antineutron Oscillations: Discrete Symmetries and Quark Operators
• Gauged B-L Number and Neutron--Antineutron Oscillation: Long-range Forces Mediated by Baryophotons
• A model of antineutron annihilation in experimental searches for neutron-antineutron transformations
• CPT, CP, and C transformations of fermions, and their consequences, in theories with B-L violation
• Limits on $\boldmath n {\bar n}$ oscillations from nuclear stability
• Neutron - Antineutron Oscillations in a Trap Revisited
• Processes that break baryon number by two units and the Majorana nature of the neutrino
• Parity-doublet representation of Majorana fermions and neutron oscillation
• Phenomenology of $n$-$\bar{n}$ Oscillations Revisited
• Limiting Lorentz Violation from Neutron--Antineutron Oscillation
• Phenomenology of neutron-antineutron conversion
• Limiting Equivalence Principle Violation and Long-Range Baryonic Force from Neutron-Antineutron Oscillation
• Neutron-antineutron Oscillations in the Trapping Box
• Neutron-antineutron oscillations beyond the quasi-free limit
• Antiproton-deuteron annihilation at low energies

Cited by in corpus (9)

• New high-sensitivity searches for neutrons converting into antineutrons and/or sterile neutrons at the European Spallation Source
• Particle Physics at the European Spallation Source
• Progress and Simulations for Intranuclear Neutron--Antineutron Transformations in ${}_{18}^{40}Ar$
• A possible shortcut for neutron-antineutron oscillation through mirror world
• Theoretical Analysis of Antineutron-Nucleus Data needed for Antineutron Mirrors in Neutron-Antineutron Oscillation Experiments
• A new approach to search for free neutron-antineutron oscillations using coherent neutron propagation in gas
• The HIBEAM Instrument at the European Spallation Source
• Pocket resonances in low-energy antineutrons reactions with nuclei
• Experimental search for neutron-antineutron oscillation with use of ultra-cold neutrons revisited