A direct experimental limit on neutron -- mirror neutron oscillations

Understand

In case a mirror world with a copy of our ordinary particle spectrum would exist, the neutron n and its degenerate partner, the mirror neutron ${\rm n'}$, could potentially mix and undergo ${\rm nn'}$ oscillations.

• The interaction of an ordinary magnetic field with the ordinary neutron would lift the degeneracy between the mirror partners, diminish the ${\rm n'}$-amplitude in the n-wavefunction and, thus, suppress its observability.
• We report an experimental comparison of ultracold neutron storage in a trap with and without superimposed magnetic field.
• No influence of the magnetic field is found and, assuming negligible mirror magnetic fields, a limit on the oscillation time $\tau_{\rm nn'} > 103$ s (95% C.L.) is derived.