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Accurately measuring the neutron beam polarization of a high flux, large area neutron beam is necessary for many neutron physics experiments. The Fundamental Neutron Physics Beamline (FnPB) at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) is a pulsed neutron beam that was polarized with a supermirror polarizer for the NPDGamma experiment. The polarized neutron beam had a flux of $\sim10^9$ neutrons per second per cm$^2$ and a cross sectional area of 10$\times$12~cm$^2$. The polarization of this neutron beam and the efficiency of a RF neutron spin rotator installed downstream on this beam were measured by neutron transmission through a polarized $^{3}$He neutron spin-filter. The pulsed nature of the SNS enabled us to employ an absolute measurement technique for both quantities which does not depend on accurate knowledge of the phase space of the neutron beam or the $^{3}$He polarization in the spin filter and is therefore of interest for any experiments on slow neutron beams from pulsed neutron sources which require knowledge of the absolute value of the neutron polarization. The polarization and spin-reversal efficiency measured in this work were done for the NPDGamma experiment, which measures the parity violating $\gamma$-ray angular distribution asymmetry with respect to the neutron spin direction in the capture of polarized neutrons on protons. The experimental technique, results, systematic effects, and applications to neutron capture targets are discussed., Comment: 13 pages, 14 figures, 2 tables

We describe a detection system designed for precise measurements of angular correlations in neutron $\beta$ decay. The system is based on thick, large area, highly segmented silicon detectors developed in collaboration with Micron Semiconductor, Ltd. The prototype system meets specifications for $\beta$ electron detection with energy thresholds below 10 keV, energy resolution of $\sim$3 keV FWHM, and rise time of $\sim$50 ns with 19 of the 127 detector pixels instrumented. Using ultracold neutrons at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center, we have demonstrated the coincident detection of $\beta$ particles and recoil protons from neutron $\beta$ decay. The fully instrumented detection system will be implemented in the UCNB and Nab experiments, to determine the neutron $\beta$ decay parameters $B$, $a$, and $b$., Comment: Copyright 2016. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Precision measurements in neutron beta decay serve to determine the coupling constants of beta decay and allow for several stringent tests of the standard model. This paper discusses the design and the expected performance of the Nab spectrometer., Submitted to Proceedings of the Conference CIPANP12, St.Petersburg, Florida, May 2012

The parity nonconserving spin rotation of neutrons in the 0.734-eV p-wave resonance of $^{139}La$ was measured with the neutron transmission method. Two optically polarized $^3He$ cells were used before and behind a a 5-cm long $^{139}La$ target as a polarizer and an analyzer of neutron spin. The rotation angle was carefully measured by flipping the direction of $^3He$ polarization in the polarizer in sequence. The peak-to-peak value of the spin rotation was found to be $ (7.4 \pm 1.1) \times 10^{-3} $ rad/cm which was consistent with the previous experiments. But the result was statisticallly improved. The s-p mixing model gives the weak matrix element as $xW = (1.71 \pm 0.25)$ meV. The value agrees well with the one deduced from the parity-nonconserving longitudinal asymmetry in the same resonance.

Parity nonconservation was studied for 23 p-wave resonances in 113Cd up to En = 500 eV at the LANSCE pulsed neutron source using a longitudinally polarized neutron beam and the time-of-flight method. The helicity dependence of the total neutron capture cross section was measured with an enriched 113Cd target and with a target of natural cadmium. Parity violating effects were observed for several resonances in 113Cd and 111Cd. A root-mean-square value of the parity nonconserving matrix element MJ=1 = 2.9+1.3-0.9 meV was obtained for the spin J=1 levels in the compound nucleus 114Cd. This result from the 3p-peak region of the neutron strength function is compared with the parity violation results for nuclei from the 4p-peak region.

Parity nonconservation (PNC) was measured for 24 p-wave resonances from 8 to 300 eV in 232Th by measuring the helicity dependence of the total neutron cross section for epithermal neutrons with an improved experimental system. Ten resonances show statistically significant parity violation. For these ten resonances the analyzing powers are all positive, thus confirming the previously observed sign correlation. The data are fit to the sum of two terms, a constant asymmetry and a fluctuating asymmetry. With this ansatz the root-mean-square PNC matrix element M=1.12 meV, which corresponds to a weak spreading widthΓw=4.7×10-7 eV. For the neighboring nuclide 238U there is no constant offset, suggesting that the sign correlation is specific to 232Th. Disciplines Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics | Physics Authors Sharon L. Stephenson, J D. Bowman, Bret E. Crawford, P P J. Delheij, C M. Frankle, M IInuma, J N. Knudsen, L Y. Lowie, A Masaike, Y Matsuda, G E. Mitchell, S I. Penttila, H Postma, N R. Roberson, S J. Seestrom, E I. Sharapov, Y-F Yen, and V W. Yuan This article is available at The Cupola: Scholarship at Gettysburg College: http://cupola.gettysburg.edu/physfac/20 Parity nonconservation in neutron resonances in Th S. L. Stephenson,* J. D. Bowman, B. E. Crawford, P. P. J. Delheij, C. M. Frankle, M. Iinuma, J. N. Knudson, L. Y. Lowie, A. Masaike, Y. Matsuda, G. E. Mitchell, S. I. Penttila, H. Postma, N. R. Roberson, S. J. Seestrom, E. I. Sharapov, Y.-F. Yen, and V. W. Yuan North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-8202 and Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory, Durham, North Carolina 27708-0308 Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545 Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708 and Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory, Durham, North Carolina 27708-0308 TRIUMF, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 2A3 Department of Physics, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan University of Technology, Delft, 2600 GA, The Netherlands Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, 141980 Dubna, Russia ~Received 6 April 1998! Parity nonconservation ~PNC! was measured for 24 p-wave resonances from 8 to 300 eV in Th by measuring the helicity dependence of the total neutron cross section for epithermal neutrons with an improved experimental system. Ten resonances show statistically significant parity violation. For these ten resonances the analyzing powers are all positive, thus confirming the previously observed sign correlation. The data are fit to the sum of two terms, a constant asymmetry and a fluctuating asymmetry. With this ansatz the root-meansquare PNC matrix element M51.12 meV, which corresponds to a weak spreading width Gw54.7310 27 eV. For the neighboring nuclide U there is no constant offset, suggesting that the sign correlation is specific to Th. @S0556-2813~98!03608-5# PACS number~s!: 25.40.Ny, 24.80.1y, 11.30.Er, 27.90.1b