Measurements of the neutron electric to magnetic form factor ratio G_(En)/G_(Mn) via the ^2H(e, e'n)^1H reaction to Q^2 = 1.45 (GeV/c)^2

We report values for the neutron electric tomagnetic form factor ratio,G_(En)/G_(Mn), deduced frommeasurements of the neutron’s recoil polarization in the quasielastic ^2H(e, e'n)^1H reaction, at three Q^2 values of 0.45, 1.13, and 1.45 (GeV/c)^2. The data at Q^2 = 1.13 and 1.45 (GeV/c)^2 are the first direct experimental measurements of G_(En) employing polarization degrees of freedom in the Q^2 > 1 (GeV/c)^2 region and stand as the most precise determinations of G_(En) for all values of Q^2

The Super Bigbite Project: a Study of Nucleon Form Factors

A proposed set of instrumentation, collectively referred to as the Super Bigbite project, is presented. Used in three different configurations it will allow measurements of three nucleon electromagnetic form factors GEn, GEp, and GMn with unprecedented precision to Q2-values up to three times higher than existing data

Impact of motion along the field direction on geometric-phase-induced false electric dipole moment signals

Geometric-phase-induced false electric dipole moment (EDM) signals, resulting from interference between magnetic field gradients and particle motion in electric fields, have been studied extensively in the literature, especially for neutron EDM experiments utilizing stored ultracold neutrons and co-magnetometer atoms. Previous studies have considered particle motion in the transverse plane perpendicular to the direction of the applied electric and magnetic fields. We show, via Monte Carlo studies, that motion along the field direction can impact the magnitude of this false EDM signal if the wall surfaces are rough such that the wall collisions can be modeled as diffuse, with the results dependent on the size of the storage cell's dimension along the field direction.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, NIM A, in pres

Precision Measurement Of The Neutron's Beta Asymmetry Using Ultra-Cold Neutrons

A measurement of A_β, the correlation between the electron momentum and neutron (n) spin (the beta asymmetry) in n beta-decay, together with the n lifetime, provides a method for extracting fundamental parameters for the charged-current weak interaction of the nucleon. In particular when combined with decay measurements, one can extract the V_(ud) element of the CKM matrix, a critical element in CKM unitarity tests. By using a new SD_2 super-thermal source at LANSCE, large fluxes of UCN (ultra-cold neutrons) are expected for the UCNA project. These UCN will be 100% polarized using a 7 T magnetic field, and directed into the β spectrometer. This approach, together with an expected large reduction in backgrounds, will result in an order of magnitude reduction in the critical systematic corrections associated with current n β-asymmetry measurements. This paper will give an overview of the UCNA Aβ measurement as well as an update on the status of the experiment

New Measurements and Quantitative Analysis of Electron Backscattering in the Energy Range of Neutron Beta-Decay

We report on the first detailed measurements of electron backscattering from plastic scintillator targets, extending our previous work on beryllium and silicon targets. The scintillator experiment posed several additional experimental challenges associated with charging of the scintillator target, and those challenges are addressed in detail. In addition, we quantitatively compare the energy and angular distributions of this data, and our previous data, with electron transport simulations based on the Geant4 and Penelope Monte Carlo simulation codes. The Penelope simulation is found globally to give a superior description of the data. Such information is crucial for a broad array of weak-interaction physics experiments, where electron backscattering can give rise to the dominant detector-related systematic uncertainty.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figure

A solenoidal electron spectrometer for a precision measurement of the neutron β\beta-asymmetry with ultracold neutrons

We describe an electron spectrometer designed for a precision measurement of the neutron $\beta$-asymmetry with spin-polarized ultracold neutrons. The spectrometer consists of a 1.0-Tesla solenoidal field with two identical multiwire proportional chamber and plastic scintillator electron detector packages situated within 0.6-Tesla field-expansion regions. Select results from performance studies of the spectrometer with calibration sources are reported.Comment: 30 pages, 19 figures, 1 table, submitted to NIM

A prototype vector magnetic field monitoring system for a neutron electric dipole moment experiment

We present results from a first demonstration of a magnetic field monitoring system for a neutron electric dipole moment experiment. The system is designed to reconstruct the vector components of the magnetic field in the interior measurement region solely from exterior measurements