Jach, T.
and Vinson, J.
(2022),
Defi nitive Detection of Orbital Angular Momentum States in Neutrons by Spin-polarized 3He, Physical Review Letters, [online], https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.105.L061601, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=933218
(Accessed December 12, 2024)
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Defi nitive Detection of Orbital Angular Momentum States in Neutrons by Spin-polarized 3He
Published
Author(s)
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Abstract
A standard method to detect thermal neutrons is the nuclear interaction 3He(n,p)3H. The spin- dependence of this interaction is also the basis of a neutron spin-polarization filter using nuclear polarized 3He. We consider the corresponding interaction for neutrons placed in an intrinsic orbital angular momentum (OAM) state. We derive the relative, polarization-dependent cross-sections for neutrons in an L = 1 OAM state. The absorption of those neutrons results in states J = 0, 1, and 2. Varying the three available polarizations tests that an OAM neutron has been created and probes which states are physically possible. We describe the energetically likely excited states of 4He after absorption, due to the fact that the compound state has odd parity. This provides a de finitive method for detecting neutron OAM states and suggests that intrinsic OAM states offer the possibility to observe new physics, including anomalous cross-sections and new channels of radioactive decay.Citation
Physical Review Letters
Volume
105
Pub Type
Journals
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Keywords
neutron, orbital angular momentum, spin polarization, cross section, OAM, Helium-3
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Created May 11, 2022, Updated December 1, 2022