A Measurement of the Neutron Beta-Asymmetry Using Ultra-Cold Neutrons Produced in a Superthermal Solid Deuterium Source

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This award will support a research effort aimed at measuring theangular correlation between neutron spin and the emission directionof the electron following beta decay of the neutron. The experimentwill utilize ultra-cold neutrons at the Los Alamos Neutron ScienceCenter. The goal is ultimately to provide an order-of-magnitude inthe precision to which this asymmetry is known. This measurment,coupled with ongoing measurements of the neutron lifetime, canprovide sensitive tests of the electroweak standard model, as wellas improved values of the weak axial form factor of the nucleon. The research effort contains an exceptionally diverse collection ofnuclear and atomic experimental techniques, at a scale where a Ph.D. student can have a substantial impact upon the course of theresearch.