Abstract
Recent developments in investigations of beta decay of the free neutron are discussed. Measurements of the neutron lifetime τ n and the electron emission asymmetry A n are a classic source of determination of the Standard Model parameters G v , G A and λ n . Combined with the results of the muon decay experiments, the nuclear superallowed 0→0 transitions and decays of particles containing heavy quarks, they provide tests of the SM assumptions: the unitarity of the CKM matrix, the number of the neutrino families, or the CVC hypothesis. In contrast, more complex correlations between the spins and the momenta of the emitted particles, (e.g. B n , D n , R n or G n ), are uniquely sensitive to the so called “Physics beyond the Standard Model”. Thus the question of the right handed bosons, the admixture of the scalar or tensor interaction, with or without time reversal violating terms, may be addressed separately in a dedicated, single experiment. Further development of powerful beams of polarized cold neutrons and sources of ultracold neutrons is imperative for progress in these studies.
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Sromicki, J. Low energy frontier: Physics with polarized cold neutrons. Czech J Phys 50 (Suppl 1), 87–94 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10582-000-0010-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10582-000-0010-4