@article{cude-woods_gonzalez_fries_bailey_blatnik_callahan_choi_clayton_currie_dawid_et al._2022, title={Fill and dump measurement of the neutron lifetime using an asymmetric magneto-gravitational trap}, volume={106}, ISSN={["2469-9993"]}, DOI={10.1103/PhysRevC.106.065506}, abstractNote={The past two decades have yielded several new measurements and reanalyses of older measurements of the neutron lifetime. These have led to a 4.4 standard deviation discrepancy between the most precise measurements of the neutron decay rate producing protons in cold neutron beams and the lifetime measured in neutron storage experiments. Measurements using different techniques are important for investigating whether there are unidentified systematic effects in any of the measurements . In this paper we report a new measurement using the Los Alamos asymmetric magneto-gravitational trap where the surviving neutrons are counted external to the trap using the fill and dump method. The new measurement gives a free neutron lifetime of Although this measurement is not as precise, it is in statistical agreement with previous results using in situ counting in the same apparatus.}, number={6}, journal={PHYSICAL REVIEW C}, author={Cude-Woods, C. and Gonzalez, F. M. and Fries, E. M. and Bailey, T. and Blatnik, M. and Callahan, N. B. and Choi, J. H. and Clayton, S. M. and Currie, S. A. and Dawid, M. and et al.}, year={2022}, month={Dec} }
 @article{gonzalez_fries_cude-woods_bailey_blatnik_broussard_callahan_choi_clayton_currie_et al._2021, title={Improved Neutron Lifetime Measurement with UCN τ}, volume={127}, ISSN={["1079-7114"]}, DOI={10.1103/PhysRevLett.127.162501}, abstractNote={We report an improved measurement of the free neutron lifetime τ_{n} using the UCNτ apparatus at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center. We count a total of approximately 38×10^{6} surviving ultracold neutrons (UCNs) after storing in UCNτ's magnetogravitational trap over two data acquisition campaigns in 2017 and 2018. We extract τ_{n} from three blinded, independent analyses by both pairing long and short storage time runs to find a set of replicate τ_{n} measurements and by performing a global likelihood fit to all data while self-consistently incorporating the β-decay lifetime. Both techniques achieve consistent results and find a value τ_{n}=877.75±0.28_{stat}+0.22/-0.16_{syst}  s. With this sensitivity, neutron lifetime experiments now directly address the impact of recent refinements in our understanding of the standard model for neutron decay.}, number={16}, journal={PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS}, author={Gonzalez, F. M. and Fries, E. M. and Cude-Woods, C. and Bailey, T. and Blatnik, M. and Broussard, L. J. and Callahan, N. B. and Choi, J. H. and Clayton, S. M. and Currie, S. A. and et al.}, year={2021}, month={Oct}, pages={162501} }
 @article{kuk_cude-woods_chavez_choi_estrada_hoffbauer_holland_makela_morris_ramberg_et al._2021, title={Projection imaging with ultracold neutrons}, volume={1003}, ISSN={["1872-9576"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.nima.2021.165306}, abstractNote={Ultracold neutron (UCN) projection imaging is demonstrated using a boron-coated back-illuminated CCD camera and the Los Alamos UCN source. Each neutron is recorded through the capture reactions with 10B. By direct detection at least one of the byproducts α, 7Li and γ (electron recoils) derived from the neutron capture and reduction of thermal noise of the scientific CCD camera, a signal-to-noise improvement on the order of 104 over the indirect detection has been achieved. Sub-pixel position resolution of a few microns is confirmed for individual UCN events. Projection imaging of test objects shows a spatial resolution less than 100μm by an integrated UCN flux one the order of 106 cm−2. The bCCD can be used to build UCN detectors with an area on the order of 1 m2. The combination of micrometer scale spatial resolution, low readout noise of a few electrons, and large area makes bCCD suitable for quantum science of UCN.}, journal={NUCLEAR INSTRUMENTS & METHODS IN PHYSICS RESEARCH SECTION A-ACCELERATORS SPECTROMETERS DETECTORS AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT}, author={Kuk, K. and Cude-Woods, C. and Chavez, C. R. and Choi, J. H. and Estrada, J. and Hoffbauer, M. and Holland, S. E. and Makela, M. and Morris, C. L. and Ramberg, E. and et al.}, year={2021}, month={Jul} }
 @article{gillis_bailey_gallmeier_hartl_iverson_2018, title={Raman Spectroscopy as an ortho-para diagnostic of liquid hydrogen moderators}, volume={1021}, ISSN={["1742-6596"]}, DOI={10.1088/1742-6596/1021/1/012062}, abstractNote={The intense radiation environment of a neutron moderator provides a mechanism for significant up-conversion of parahydrogen to orthohydrogen inside the moderator, as well as intrinsically catalyzing relaxation of orthohydrogen to parahydrogen. It is plausible that the steady-state orthohydrogen fraction of a moderator in a radiation environment such as at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) or the European Spallation Source (ESS) is as high as 30 % without supplemental catalysis. Direct measurement of the orthohydrogen fraction in the liquid hydrogen flow itself is essential to predict and monitor moderator performance, especially for thick or flat moderator concepts such as the ones that have been proposed for the ESS and for upgrades to the SNS. Raman spectroscopy provides a well-known method for directly measuring the hydrogen make-up in an unambiguous way. We describe our tests of Raman spectroscopy for application to the measurement of the orthohydrogen fraction of the hydrogen moderators at SNS and at the ESS. As part of this work, we have additionally developed a sample holder that has been used to perform simultaneous Raman and neutron vibrational spectroscopy on the VISION spectrometer at SNS. We discuss our plans to incorporate such a system as a diagnostic for liquid hydrogen moderators at SNS and at the ESS.}, journal={22ND MEETING OF THE INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION ON ADVANCED NEUTRON SOURCES (ICANS XXII)}, author={Gillis, R. C. and Bailey, T. and Gallmeier, F. X. and Hartl, M. A. and Iverson, E. B.}, year={2018} }
 @article{anghel_bailey_bison_blau_broussard_clayton_cude-woods_daum_hawari_hild_et al._2018, title={Solid deuterium surface degradation at ultracold neutron sources}, volume={54}, ISSN={1434-6001 1434-601X}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1140/epja/i2018-12594-2}, DOI={10.1140/epja/i2018-12594-2}, abstractNote={Solid deuterium (sD_2) is used as an efficient converter to produce ultracold neutrons (UCN). It is known that the sD_2 must be sufficiently cold, of high purity and mostly in its ortho-state in order to guarantee long lifetimes of UCN in the solid from which they are extracted into vacuum. Also the UCN transparency of the bulk sD_2 material must be high because crystal inhomogeneities limit the mean free path for elastic scattering and reduce the extraction efficiency. Observations at the UCN sources at Paul Scherrer Institute and at Los Alamos National Laboratory consistently show a decrease of the UCN yield with time of operation after initial preparation or later treatment (`conditioning') of the sD_2. We show that, in addition to the quality of the bulk sD_2, the quality of its surface is essential. Our observations and simulations support the view that the surface is deteriorating due to a build-up of D_2 frost-layers under pulsed operation which leads to strong albedo reflections of UCN and subsequent loss. We report results of UCN yield measurements, temperature and pressure behavior of deuterium during source operation and conditioning, and UCN transport simulations. This, together with optical observations of sD_2 frost formation on initially transparent sD_2 in offline studies with pulsed heat input at the North Carolina State University UCN source results in a consistent description of the UCN yield decrease.}, number={9}, journal={The European Physical Journal A}, publisher={Springer Nature}, author={Anghel, A. and Bailey, T. L. and Bison, G. and Blau, B. and Broussard, L. J. and Clayton, S. M. and Cude-Woods, C. and Daum, M. and Hawari, A. and Hild, N. and et al.}, year={2018}, month={Sep} }