High-Density Ultracold Neutron Source for Low-Energy Particle Physics Experiments
Authors:
Skyler Degenkolb,
Estelle Chanel,
Simon Baudoin,
Marie-Hélène Baurand,
Douglas H. Beck,
Juliette Blé,
Eric Bourgeat-Lami,
Zeus Castillo,
Hanno Filter,
Maurits van der Grinten,
Tobias Jenke,
Michael Jentschel,
Victorien Joyet,
Eddy Lelièvre-Berna,
Husain Manasawala,
Thomas Neulinger,
Peter Fierlinger,
Kseniia Svirina,
Xavier Tonon,
Oliver Zimmer
Abstract:
SuperSUN, a new superthermal source of ultracold neutrons (UCN) at the Institut Laue-Langevin, exploits inelastic scattering of neutrons in isotopically pure superfluid $^4$He at temperatures below $0.6\,$K. For the first time, continuous operation with an intense broad-spectrum cold neutron beam is demonstrated over 60 days. We observe continuous UCN extraction rates of $21000\,$s$^{-1}$, and sto…
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SuperSUN, a new superthermal source of ultracold neutrons (UCN) at the Institut Laue-Langevin, exploits inelastic scattering of neutrons in isotopically pure superfluid $^4$He at temperatures below $0.6\,$K. For the first time, continuous operation with an intense broad-spectrum cold neutron beam is demonstrated over 60 days. We observe continuous UCN extraction rates of $21000\,$s$^{-1}$, and storage in the source with saturated $\textit{in-situ}$ density $273\,$cm$^{-3}$. The high stored density, low-energy UCN spectrum, and long storage times open new possibilities in fundamental and applied physics.
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Submitted 17 April, 2025;
originally announced April 2025.