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The Upscattering of Ultracold Neutrons from the Polymer (C6H12)n
Physical Review C (2013)
  • Eduard I. Sharapov, Joint Institute for Nuclear Research
  • Christopher L. Morris, Los Alamos National Laboratory
  • Mark Makela, Los Alamos National Laboratory
  • Andy Saunders, Los Alamos National Laboratory
  • Evan R. Adamek, Indiana University
  • Leah J. Broussard, Los Alamos National Laboratory
  • Chris B. Cude-Woods, Indiana University
  • Deion E Fellers, Los Alamos National Laboratory
  • Peter Geltenbort, Institut Laue-Langevin
  • Monika Hartl, Los Alamos National Laboratory
  • Siraj I. Hasan, University of Kentucky
  • Kevin P. Hickerson, California Institute of Technology
  • Gary E. Hogan, Los Alamos National Laboratory
  • Anthony T. Holley, Indiana University
  • C. M. Lavelle, The Johns Hopkins University
  • Chen-Yu Liu, Indiana University
  • Michael P. Mendenhall, California Institute of Technology
  • Jose Ortiz, Los Alamos National Laboratory
  • Robert W. Pattie, North Carolina State University
  • David G. Phillips, North Carolina State University
  • John Ramsey, Los Alamos National Laboratory
  • Daniel J. Salvat, Indiana University
  • Susan J. Seestrom, Los Alamos National Laboratory
  • Erik Shaw, Los Alamos National Laboratory
  • Sky Sjue, Los Alamos National Laboratory
  • Walter E. Sondheim, Los Alamos National Laboratory
  • Brittany VornDick, North Carolina State University
  • Zhehui Wang, Los Alamos National Laboratory
  • Tanner L. Womack, Los Alamos National Laboratory
  • Andrew R. Young, North Carolina State University
  • B. A. Zeck, North Carolina State University
Abstract
It is generally accepted that the main cause of ultracold neutron (UCN) losses in storage traps is upscattering to the thermal energy range by hydrogen adsorbed on the surface of the trap walls. However, the data on which this conclusion is based are poor and contradictory. Here we report a measurement, performed at the Los Alamos National Laboratory UCN source, of the average energy of the flux of upscattered neutrons after the interaction of UCN with hydrogen bound in the semicrystalline polymer PMP (trade name TPX), [C6H12]n. Our analysis, performed with the mcnp code which applies the neutron-scattering law to UCN upscattered by bound hydrogen in semicrystalline polyethylene, [C2H4]n, leads us to a flux average energy value of 26±3 meV, in contradiction to previously reported experimental values of 10 to 13 meV and in agreement with the theoretical models of neutron heating implemented in mcnp.
Keywords
  • Upscattering,
  • Ultracold Neutrons,
  • Polymer
Publication Date
December 6, 2013
DOI
10.1103/PhysRevC.88.064605
Publisher Statement
©2013 American Physical Society. Authors have the nonexclusive right to post the APS-prepared version of the article to an institutional repository. This document was originally published in Physical Review C.
Citation Information
Eduard I. Sharapov, Christopher L. Morris, Mark Makela, Andy Saunders, et al.. "The Upscattering of Ultracold Neutrons from the Polymer (C6H12)n" Physical Review C Vol. 88 (2013) p. 064605 ISSN: 2469-9985
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/robert-pattie/23/