Nuclear Physics Seminars

In some theories beyond the Standard Model, new force mediating bosons appear as explanations for dark matter. If such forces exist, they are necessarily weak to be so far undetected. It is then desirable to search for these particles with neutrons, which have the benefit of electric neutrality and small polarizability, significantly reducing experimental false effects from stray electric fields. In this talk, I will discuss how one can utilize the localization of neutrons along a curved surface, a phenomenon called the "neutron whispering gallery effect," to search for these new forces; and the measurements of this effect made at the Institut Laue Langevin will be described.

The whispering gallery effect is also predicted to exist with anti-atoms, and an experiment with this effect could support recent campaigns to measure the gravitational acceleration of anti-matter. The methodology of such an experiment will be explained and preliminary results of a recent proof of principle experiment with the neutron whispering gallery will be shared.