The observation of neutrons turning into antineutrons would constitute a discovery of fundamental importance for particle physics and cosmology. Observing the n−n transition would show that baryon number (B) is violated by two units and that matter containing neutrons is unstable. It would provide a clue to how the matter in our universe might have evolved from the B = 0 early universe. If seen at rates observable in foreseeable next-generation experiments, it might well help us understand the observed baryon asymmetry of the universe. A demonstration of the violation of B − L by 2 units would have a profound impact on our understanding of phenomena beyond the Standard Model of particle physics.Slow neutrons have kinetic energies of a few meV. By exploiting new slow neutron sources and optics technology developed for materials research, an optimized search for oscillations using free neutrons from a slow neutron moderator could improve existing limits on the free oscillation probability by at least three orders of magnitude. Such an experiment would deliver a slow neutron beam through a magnetically-shielded vacuum chamber to a thin annihilation target surrounded by a low-background antineutron annihilation detector. Antineutron annihilation in a target downstream of a free neutron beam is such a spectacular experimental signature that an essentially background-free search is possible. An authentic positive signal can be extinguished by a very small change in the ambient magnetic field in such an experiment. It is also possible to improve the sensitivity of neutron oscillation searches in nuclei using large underground detectors built mainly to search for proton decay and detect neutrinos. This paper summarizes the relevant theoretical developments, outlines some ideas to improve experimental searches for free neutron oscillations, and suggests avenues both for theoretical investigation and for future improvement in the experimental sensitivity.

The ESS Design: Accelerator 6The ESS Design: Target 66The ESS Design: Controls 93The ESS Design: Conventional Facilities 109Physica ScriptaPhys. Scr. 93 (2018) 014001 (121pp) https://doi.org/10. 1088/1402-4896/aa9bff This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercialNoDerivs 3.0 licence. Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercialNoDerivs 3.0 licence. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI. Neutron scattering is a well-developed and extensively used means to get access to fundamental properties of biological matter as well as of physical materials. Until the end of the twentieth century that was mainly practiced with-and limited in performance by-the continuous flux of neutrons from ageing nuclear reactors (e.g. the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL), the flagship of neutron research in Europe and in the world) [1]). Looking forward to the following two decades, an OECD report published in 1998 diagnosed the foreseeable decrease of the number of operational facilities [2] and the need to progress in performance. Considering the high scientific interest and the increasing importance of the subject for society at large, the report concluded by strongly recommending the construction of next generation neutron sources in America, Europe and Asia. Pulsed spallation neutron sources (SNS) using a proton beam power exceeding 1 MW were specifically mentioned as the most interesting high performance facilities in the future landscape of neutron laboratories.The USA was the first country to follow this advice by building the SNS in the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) which started in 2006 [3, 4]. Japan followed in 2009 with the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Centre (J-PARC) in Tokai [5,6]. In Europe, the subject was part of a concerted effort to further develop the European world-leading largescale research infrastructures suite. In 2003, the European Strategy Forum for Research Infrastructures (ESFRI), set up by the Research Ministries of the Member States and associated countries, concluded that a 5 MW long-pulse, single target station layout with nominally 22 'public' instruments was the optimum technical reference design for an European Spallation Source (ESS) that would meet the needs of the European science community in the second quarter of the century [7].Six years later, in 2009, it materialised in a real project with the adoption of the site of Lund (Sweden). A preconstruction phase followed until the end of 2013 during which the design was finalised [8]. Construction then started with the first neutron beams planned to be available in 2019, and the ESS facility to be operational at full performance in 2025.2 Description 2.1 Principle and specifics. The high level parameters of ESS are shown in table 1. As at SNS and J-PARC, neutrons at ESS are produced by spallation, when the 2 GeV protons hit the meta...

The violation of baryon number, B , is an essential ingredient for the preferential creation of matter over antimatter needed to account for the observed baryon asymmetry in the Universe. However, such a process has yet to be experimentally observed. The HIBEAM/NNBAR program is a proposed two-stage experiment at the European Spallation Source to search for baryon number violation. The program will include high-sensitivity searches for processes that violate baryon number by one or two units: free neutron–antineutron oscillation ( n → n ̄ ) via mixing, neutron–antineutron oscillation via regeneration from a sterile neutron state ( n → [ n ′ , n ̄ ′ ] → n ̄ ), and neutron disappearance (n → n′); the effective Δ B = 0 process of neutron regeneration ( n → [ n ′ , n ̄ ′ ] → n ) is also possible. The program can be used to discover and characterize mixing in the neutron, antineutron and sterile neutron sectors. The experiment addresses topical open questions such as the origins of baryogenesis and the nature of dark matter, and is sensitive to scales of new physics substantially in excess of those available at colliders. A goal of the program is to open a discovery window to neutron conversion probabilities (sensitivities) by up to three orders of magnitude compared with previous searches. The opportunity to make such a leap in sensitivity tests should not be squandered. The experiment pulls together a diverse international team of physicists from the particle (collider and low energy) and nuclear physics communities, while also including specialists in neutronics and magnetics.

The European Spallation Source being constructed in Lund, Sweden will provide the user community with a neutron source of unprecedented brightness. By 2025, a suite of 15 instruments will be served by a high-brightness moderator system placed above the spallation target. The ESS infrastructure, consisting of the proton linac, the target station, and the instrument halls, allows for implementation of a second source below the spallation target. We propose to develop a second neutron source with a high-intensity moderator able to (1) deliver a larger total cold neutron flux, (2) provide high intensities at longer wavelengths in the spectral regions of Cold (4–10 Å), Very Cold (10–40 Å), and Ultra Cold (several 100 Å) neutrons, as opposed to Thermal and Cold neutrons delivered by the top moderator. Offering both unprecedented brilliance, flux, and spectral range in a single facility, this upgrade will make ESS the most versatile neutron source in the world and will further strengthen the leadership of Europe in neutron science. The new source will boost several areas of condensed matter research such as imaging and spin-echo, and will provide outstanding opportunities in fundamental physics investigations of the laws of nature at a precision unattainable anywhere else. At the heart of the proposed system is a volumetric liquid deuterium moderator. Based on proven technology, its performance will be optimized in a detailed engineering study. This moderator will be complemented by secondary sources to provide intense beams of Very- and Ultra-Cold Neutrons.

Molecular hydrogen exists in two spin-rotation coupled states: parahydrogen and orthohydrogen. Due to the variation of energy with rotational level, the occupation of ortho- and parahydrogen states is temperature dependent, with parahydrogen being the dominant species at low temperatures. The equilibrium at 20 K (99.8% parahydrogen) can be reached by natural conversion only after a lengthy process. With the use of a suitable catalyst, this process can be shortened significantly. Two types of commercial catalysts currently being used for ortho- to parahydrogen conversion are: iron(iii) oxide (Fe2O3, IONEX®), and chromium(ii) oxide doped silica catalyst (CrO·SiO2, OXISORB®). We investigate the interaction of ortho- and parahydrogen with the surfaces of these ortho-para conversion catalysts using neutron vibrational spectroscopy. The catalytic surfaces have been characterized using X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) and X-ray/neutron pair distribution function measurements.