Ultracold Neutrons

Download or read book Ultracold Neutrons written by Albert Steyerl and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2020-05-26 with total page 500 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ultracold Neutrons is a guide to a fascinating topic. It describes how a simple new idea in experimental neutron physics has changed the landscape of what is often called 'fundamental physics.' Ultracold neutrons (UCNs) are neutrons moving at the low speed of a bicycle rider. They were produced for the first time 50 years ago (in 1968) and are distinguished from ordinary neutrons with much higher energies by their ability to be confined in 'neutron bottles' for durations up to several hundred seconds. This is possible since they are reflected back and forth from the container walls many thousands of times with very little loss. As a result of these long observation times, their properties and interactions with the environment can be studied with superb precision.Directed towards a general readership, this book is an excellent introduction to a field of research that is not highly specialized but touches on many aspects of our physical world, classical as well as quantum mechanical.