2022 Impact factor 2.7
Hadrons and Nuclei

EPJ A Highlight - Solid deuterium surface degradation at ultracold neutron sources

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Highest intensities of ultracold neutrons (UCN) are in worldwide demand for fundamental physics experiments. Tests of the Standard Model of particle physics and searches for physics beyond it are performed with UCN.

Two of the leading UCN sources, at PSI and at LANL, are based on solid deuterium (sD2) at temperatures around 5 K. Here, together with NCSU they joined forces to understand UCN intensity decreases observed during pulsed neutron production. The study shows that the decrease can be completely explained by the build-up of frost on the sD2 surface during operation. Pulsed proton beams hitting the spallation targets generate heat pulses causing cycles of D2 sublimation and subsequent resublimation on the sD2 surface. Even very small frost flakes can act as total reflectors for UCN and cause an intensity decrease.

Optical observation of the sD2 surface at NCSU – not possible at the operating spallation neutron sources – confirmed a severe surface degradation due to heat pulsing with an external heater in strong support of the frost model.

As shown in the figure for the PSI UCN source, the intensity decrease can be fully recovered by a conditioning process, removing the frost from the sD2 and restoring good surface quality.

A. Anghel et al. (2018), Solid deuterium surface degradation at ultracold neutron sources, European Physical Journal A 54: 148, DOI 10.1140/epja/i2018-12594-2

Editors-in-Chief
David Blaschke, Thomas Duguet and Maria Jose Garcia Borge
It is a great satisfaction to see the fruit of months of research and discussions published in your journal. Besides, I express my gratitude for the quick and timely carrying out of the production process, the correct implementation of my amendments, the professionalism and the attention I have received.

G. Stellin, Institut fur Strahlen- und Kernphysik, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universitat Bonn, Germany

ISSN (Electronic Edition): 1434-601X

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