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Publication Information
Title Search for a bound di-neutron by comparing $^3$He(e,e'p)d and $^3$H(e,e'p)X measurements
Abstract We report on a search for a bound di-neutron by comparing electron-induced proton-knockout (e,e'p) measurements from Helium-3 (3He) and Tritium (3H). The measurements were performed at Jefferson Lab Hall A with a 4.326 GeV electron beam, and kinematics of large momentum transfer ( Q2 approx. 1.9 (GeV/c)2) and xB > 1, to minimize contributions from non quasi-elastic (QE) reaction mechanisms. Analyzing the measured 3He missing mass (Mmiss) and missing energy (Emiss) distributions, we can distinguish the two-body break-up reaction, in which the residual proton-neutron system remains bound as a deuteron. In the 3H mirror case, under the exact same kinematic conditions, we do not identify a signature for a bound di-neutron with similar binding energy to that of the deuteron. We calculate exclusion limits as a function of the di-neutron binding energy and find that, for binding equivalent to the deuteron, the two-body break-up cross section on Tritium is less than 0.9% of that on Helium-3 in
Author(s) Dien Nguyen, Carmel Neuburger, Reynier Cruz Torres, Axel Schmidt , Douglas Higinbotham, Julian Kahlbow, Peter Monaghan, Eliazer Piasetzky , O. Hen
Publication Date August 2022
Document Type Journal Article
Primary Institution Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, Newport News
Affiliation Exp Nuclear Physics / Experimental Halls / Hall A
Funding Source Nuclear Physics (NP)
Proprietary? No
This publication conveys Technical Science Results
Document Numbers
JLAB Number: JLAB-PHY-21-3505 OSTI Number: 1880063
LANL Number: arXiv:2109.14524 Other Number: DOE/OR/23177-5322
Associated with an experiment Yes
Experiment Number(s)
E12-14-011
Associated with EIC No
Supported by Jefferson Lab LDRD Funding No
Journal Article
Journal Name Physics Letters B
Refereed Yes
Volume 831
Issue
Page(s) 137165
Attachments/Datasets/DOI Link
Document(s)
Di_neutron_paper(1).pdf (STI Document)
1-s2.0-S0370269322002994-main.pdf (Accepted Manuscript)
1-s2.0-S0370269322002994-main.pdf (Accepted Manuscript)
DOI Link
Dataset(s) (none)
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