G. V. Kulin

New gravitational experiment with ultracold neutrons

The results of a new neutron gravitation experiment are reported. The change in the energy of a neutron falling to a known height in the Earth’s gravitational field is compensated by an energy quantum ħΘ transferred to the neutron as a result of the phase modulation of the neutron wave. A phase diffraction grating moving across the direction of the propagation of the neutron wave is used as a modulator. The experiment has been carried out with ultracold neutrons Interference filters, neutron analogues of Fabry-Perot interferometers, are used for the spectrometry of ultracold neutrons. The force mggn acting on the neutron in the Earth’s gravitational field has been measured with an accuracy of about 0.2%.

New Experiment on the Observation of the Effect of Accelerating Matter in Neutron Optics

The results of a new experiment on the observation of the effect of accelerating matter in neutron optics are reported. It has been shown that the velocity of neutrons periodically varies when they pass through a harmonically moving refractive sample. The idea of the experiment is based on time focusing, i.e., on the fact that the periodic modulation of the velocity of neutrons leads to the oscillation of the flux density at the observation point. The magnitude of the effect is in reasonable agreement with the theoretical predictions. The experiment has been carried out with ultracold neutrons and a change of ±1 cm/s has been detected in the neutron velocity.

Effect of Accelerated Matter in Neutron Optics

Results of experiments aimed at observing the change in the energy of a neutron traversing an accelerated refractive sample are reported. The experiments were performed with ultracold neutrons, the energy transfer in these experiments being ±(2−6) × 10−10 eV. The results suggest the existence of the effect and agree with theoretical predictions to a precision higher than 10%. A similar effect was previously predicted for the change in the frequency of an electromagnetic wave traversing an accelerated dielectric slab. In all probability, the effect has a very general nature, but it is presently observed only in neutron optics.

A Quantum Time Lens for Ultracold Neutrons

The possibility of creating a time lens, an analogue of the zone plate in X-ray optics, for ultracold neutrons is experimentally demonstrated. The neutron energy was changed by means of a purely quantum effect: the phase modulation of a neutron wave at a variable modulation frequency. The modulator was a phase grating with variable spatial period moving across the neutron beam.

Effect of accelerating matter in neutron optics

The results of an experiment on the observation of a new neutron-optical effect are reported. It has been experimentally shown that the energy of a neutron passing through a refracting sample moving with acceleration changes. The magnitude of the effect is in qualitative agreement with theoretical predictions. The experiment was carried out with ultracold neutrons and the energy transform is equal to ±2 × 10−10 eV.

Neutron Diffraction at a Moving Grating as a Nonstationary Quantum Phenomenon

The observation of the discrete energy spectrum in a new experiment on the diffraction of ultracold neutrons at a moving phase grating is reported. The results are in quantitative agreement with theoretical predictions and can be treated as additional evidence of the validity of the plane-wave representation of the initial neutron state.

Dynamic theory of neutron diffraction from a moving grating

A multiwave dynamic theory of diffraction of ultracold neutrons from a moving phase grating has been developed in the approximation of coupled slowly varying amplitudes of wavefunctions. The effect of the velocity, period, and height of grooves of the grating, as well as the spectral angular distribution of the intensity of incident neurons, on the discrete energy spectrum and the intensity of diffraction reflections of various orders has been analyzed.

Spectrometer for new gravitational experiment with UCN

Abstract We describe an experimental installation for a new test of the weak equivalence principle for neutron. The device is a sensitive gravitational spectrometer for ultracold neutrons allowing to precisely compare the gain in kinetic energy of free falling neutrons to quanta of energy ℏ Ω transferred to the neutron via a non stationary device, i.e. a quantum modulator. The results of first test experiments indicate a collection rate allowing measurements of the factor of equivalence γ with a statistical uncertainty in the order of 5×10 −3 per day. A number of systematic effects were found, which partially can be easily corrected. For the elimination of others more detailed investigations and analysis are needed. Some possibilities to improve the device are also discussed.

Accelerating medium effect as a general wave phenomenon

Already at the end of the last century theory predicted that the wave number and frequency of any wave will change when passing an accelerating refractive medium. The effect was calculated both for electromagnetic and neutron waves. As a refractive index may be introduced for waves of any nature one can speak about a very general Accelerating Medium Effect. As far as we know this effect has not yet been observed for light. Here we report on a neutron-optics experiments performed with ultra-cold neutrons where this effect has been demonstrated for the first time ever. The maximum energy transform in the experiment was ± (2÷6) ×10−10 eV which agrees with theory within less than 10%. Possibilities for future investigations of the Accelerating Medium effect will be discussed.

Experimental Verification of the 1/ v Law for the Absorption Cross Section of Ultracold Neutrons in Natural Gadolinium

The results of a new experiment on the transmission of ultracold neutrons through a natural gadolinium film are reported. The results indicate that the transmission of the sample is unchanged when the sample moves parallel to its surface. The neutron velocity in the sample coordinate system varies in a range of 6–35 m/s. It follows from the constancy of the sample transmission that the imaginary part of the scattering length is constant; i.e., the law 1/v is valid for the capture cross section of the free nucleus with an accuracy of about 0.5%.