Update on the UCNProBe experiment

UCNProBe is a novel experiment at Los Alamos National Laboratory dedicated to measure lifetime of free neutrons. There is currently ~10 second discrepancy between the two main types of measurement methods. The first type utilizes a cold neutron beam and detects charged particles from the decayed neutrons. The second type uses ultracold neutrons (UCN), which are neutrons with energies below ~200 neV. This type stores UCN in material or magnetic bottles and counts neutrons directly after some storage time has passed. UCNProBe will uniquely incorporate both methods to provide a new independent measurement of the free neutron lifetime. In the experiment’s setup, UCN will be trapped using a plastic scintillator box that will also serve as an in situ detector for electrons originating in the beta decay. Neutrons will be counted using a boron-coated YAP:Ce scintillator. This talk will provide an overview and the latest updates on UCNProBe’s development.