A Technical Review of Penning Trap based Investigations in Neutron Decay

Understand

This review is concerned with a detailed analysis of some of the technical problems which arise in the application of the Penning trap method to the experimental study of neutron $\beta $ -decay,a technique which was first successfully tested on the low-flux swimming-pool reactor LIDO (capture flux =3$\cdot 10^6$cm$^(-2)$s$^(-1)$) at AERE Harwell in the 1970's.

• It does not discuss the scientific merits or demerits of these studies.
• Of particular importance are the trapping and release of neutron decay protons, and the influence of magnetic mirror effects and radial drifting on the trapped particles.
• Since these have energies < 1 keV they must be accelerated to energies of order 20-30 keV following release, at which point they are recorded in a silicon surface barrier detector.