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We report an improved measurement of the free neutron lifetime τ n using the UCNτ apparatus at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center. We count a total of approximately 38 × 10 6 surviving ultracold neutrons (UCNs) after storing in UCNτ's magnetogravitational trap over two data acquisition campaigns in 2017 and 2018. We extract τ n from three blinded, independent analyses by both pairing long and short storage time runs to find a set of replicate τ n measurements and by performing a global likelihood fit to all data while selfconsistently incorporating the β-decay lifetime. Both techniques achieve consistent results and find a value τ n ¼ 877.75 AE 0.28 stat þ 0.22= − 0.16 syst s. With this sensitivity, neutron lifetime experiments now directly address the impact of recent refinements in our understanding of the standard model for neutron decay.

Solid deuterium (sD2) is used as an efficient converter to produce ultracold neutrons (UCN). It is known that the sD2 must be sufficiently cold, of high purity and mostly in its ortho-state in order to guarantee long lifetimes of UCN in the solid from which they are extracted into vacuum. Also the UCN transparency of the bulk sD2 material must be high because crystal inhomogeneities limit the mean free path for elastic scattering and reduce the extraction efficiency. Observations at the UCN sources at Paul Scherrer Institute and at Los Alamos National Laboratory consistently show a decrease of the UCN yield with time of operation after initial preparation or later treatment ("conditioning") of the sD2. We show that, in addition to the quality of the bulk sD2, the quality of its surface is essential. Our observations and simulations support the view that the surface is deteriorating due to a build-up of D2 frost-layers under pulsed operation which leads to strong albedo reflections of UCN and subsequent loss. We report results of UCN yield measurements, temperature and pressure behavior of deuterium during source operation and conditioning, and UCN transport simulations. This, together with optical observations of sD2 frost formation on initially transparent sD2 in offline studies with pulsed heat input at the North Carolina State University UCN source results in a consistent description of the UCN yield decrease.

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