Research Opportunities with Ultracold Neutrons in the United States

We summarize the content, discussions and conclusions of a workshop, “Research Opportunities with Ultracold Neutrons in the US”, held in Santa Fe, NM, on November 6th and 7th, 2009. The primary goal of this workshop was to elucidate physics opportunities for future work using the Los Alamos Ultracold Neutron Source. During the workshop, the physics motivation was reviewed for measurements of the neutron static electric dipole moment (EDM), neutron β-decay observables, neutron-antineutron (NNbar) oscillations, measurements using well-defined gravitational bound states, and surface physics. The workshop also reviewed the status and elements of the source development and research program at all major existing (ILL, LANL and Osaka) and planned (PSI, Munich, TRIUMF, PULSTAR) UCN sources. Primary conclusions drawn from the talks and discussion were, first, that the current UCN program covers a broad range of research in areas of interest to the nuclear physics community. Projects underway in the US to develop new UCN sources, UCN guide technology, fundamental nuclear and particle physics measurements and new surface science applications for UCN are unique and competitive components of the national and international fundamental neutron research program. Key points identified during the workshop include: