Pulsed-beam neutron-lifetime measurement

Abstract

We have measured the neutron lifetime using a superconducting electron spectrometer and a pulsed beam of cold neutrons. Spatially defined neutron bunches are completely contained within the spectrometer’s active volume while the β decay rate is measured. The flux is determined from the radioactivity of nearly totally absorbing thick samples of cobalt and gold exposed to the neutron beam. We obtain ${\tau }_n$=876±21 sec.