Speaker
Description
The neutron lifetime is a crucial parameter for many processes in nuclear and particle physics. However, existing experimental approaches, the beam and bottle methods, yield discrepant results. In this work, we propose a third, independent approach to determine the neutron lifetime. Our method is based on a novel experimental setup in which a modular reactor is placed near the XENONnT detector to measure the inverse beta decay cross section. This provides an alternative determination of the neutron lifetime that is independent of the existing techniques. We estimate the achievable experimental uncertainty and show that it is already approaching the level required to resolve the current tension. We further discuss possible improvements to the detector and setup that would enhance the sensitivity, with the goal of fully resolving the discrepancy and clarifying its origin.