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. 2005 Aug 1;110(4):421-5.
doi: 10.6028/jres.110.064. Print 2005 Jul-Aug.

Detecting the Radiative Decay Mode of the Neutron

B M Fisher  1 , F E Wietfeldt  1 , M S Dewey  2 , T R Gentile  2 , J S Nico  2 , A K Thompson  2 , K J Coakley  3 , E J Beise  4 , K G Kiriluk  4 , J Byrne  5
Affiliations

Detecting the Radiative Decay Mode of the Neutron

B M Fisher et al. J Res Natl Inst Stand Technol. .

Abstract

Beta decay of the neutron into a proton, electron, and electron antineutrino is occasionally accompanied by the emission of a photon. Despite decades of detailed experimental studies of neutron beta-decay, this rare branch of a fundamental weak decay has never been observed. An experiment to study the radiative beta-decay of the neutron is currently being developed for the NG-6 fundamental physics endstation at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Center for Neutron Research (NCNR). The experiment will make use of the existing apparatus for the NIST proton-trap lifetime experiment, which can provide substantial background reduction by providing an electron-proton coincidence trigger. Tests and design of a detector for gamma-rays in the 10 keV to 200 keV range are under development. The need for a large solid-angle gamma-ray detector that can operate in a strong magnetic field and at low temperature has led us to consider scintillating crystals in conjunction with avalanche photodiodes. The motivation and experimental technique will be discussed.

Keywords: beta decay; neutron decay; radiative corrections; radiative decay.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Contributions to radiative neutron decay, showing (from left to right) proton bremsstrahlung, radiation directly from the weak vertex, and electron bremsstrahlung.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Calculations of the branching ratio for radiative neutron beta-decay. Shown are the calculations of Ref. [2] (solid line), and the HBχPT calculation (dashed line) of [3].
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
The NIST radiative neutron beta-decay setup. An electrostatic mirror (not shown) will redirect protons in the beam direction back into the charged particle detector.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Pulse-height spectra from the electron-proton silicon surface barrier detector. Shown are the singles spectrum (dotted line at top), the coincidence spectrum (showing the energy spectrum of protons detected in delayed coincidence with a prompt electron) with the −30 kV detector high-voltage on (solid line), and the coincidence spectrum with the detector high-voltage off. (dashed line.)
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Spectra of gamma-rays from a 241Am source. Shown are spectra for both (1 × 1 × 1) cm3 and (1 × 1 × 10) cm3 BGO crystals, with a 1.3 cm × 1.3 cm APD coupled to one end-face on each.
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