Direct Experimental Limit on Neutron-Mirror-Neutron Oscillations

Journal Article · Fri Oct 19 00:00:00 EDT 2007 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVLETT.99.161603· OSTI ID:21024310

Ban, G; Lefort, T; Naviliat-Cuncic, O ^[1]; Bodek, K; Kistryn, S; Kuzniak, M; Zejma, J ^[2]; Daum, M; Henneck, R; Heule, S; Kasprzak, M; Kirch, K; Knecht, A; Mtchedlishvili, A; Zsigmond, G ^[3]; Khomutov, N ^[4]; Knowles, P; Rebetez, M; Weis, A ^[5]; Plonka, C ^[6]

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1. LPC Caen, ENSICAEN, Universite de Caen, CNRS/IN2P3, Caen (France)
2. Marian Smoluchowski Institute of Physics, Jagiellonian University, Cracow (Poland)
3. Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI), CH-5232 Villigen PSI (Switzerland)
4. JINR Dubna (Russian Federation)
5. University of Fribourg (Switzerland)
6. Institut Laue Langevin, Grenoble (France)

In case a mirror world with a copy of our ordinary particle spectrum would exist, the neutron n and its degenerate partner, the mirror neutron n{sup '}, could potentially mix and undergo nn{sup '} oscillations. The interaction of an ordinary magnetic field with the ordinary neutron would lift the degeneracy between the mirror partners, diminish the n{sup '} amplitude in the n wave function and, thus, suppress its observability. We report an experimental comparison of ultracold neutron storage in a trap with and without superimposed magnetic field. No influence of the magnetic field is found and, assuming negligible mirror magnetic fields, a limit on the oscillation time {tau}{sub nn{sup '}}>103 s (95% C.L.) is derived.

• OSTI ID: 21024310
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Vol. 99, Issue 16; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.99.161603; (c) 2007 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0031-9007
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
INTERACTIONS
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MAGNETIC MIRRORS
MIRRORS
NEUTRON OSCILLATION
ULTRACOLD NEUTRONS
WAVE FUNCTIONS