There have been two major experiments in attempt to measure the neutron lifetime, the magnetic bottle method and the beam method. Unfortunately these two methods have provided neutron lifetimes with several seconds of error. Our goal is to set the groundwork for an experiment that can more accurately measure the neutron lifetime in hopes of finding a consistent answer to this universal question.
Team: Casey Burton, Stephanie Garza, Dante M Mancinelli, Mercedez Young
Project Advisors: Professor Emily Liu, PhD. Candidate James Olson
Members of the design group
Project Motivation
Most nuclear technology is dependent on neutrons and their physical properties, such as their lifetime. If neutron lifetimes could be fully understood and possibly manipulated, it could mean control over how quickly they decay. This would revolutionize the technological progress and safety of the current nuclear industry.
Figure 1- .
Project Description
There have been two major experiments in attempt to measure the neutron lifetime, the magnetic bottle method and the beam method. Unfortunately these two methods have provided neutron lifetimes with several seconds of error. Our goal is to set the groundwork for an experiment that can more accurately measure the neutron lifetime in hopes of finding a consistent answer to this universal question.
Figure 2 – .
Results and Accomplishments
One of the biggest accomplishments this group has made is narrowing the search for new methods of capturing neutrons for measurement. Due to the numerous trials and errors our group has come across throughout this academic year, the only results we are able to quantify are theoretical and not physical. With the help of Ph.D candidate, James Olson, our group was able to research multiple additional existing methods of neutron and other small particle trapping in order to further define the scope of this venture.