Search for Particle-Bound Polyneutron Systems

Anthony Turkevich; James R. Cadieux; John Warren; Thanasis Economou; Jerome La Rosa; H. Roland Heydegger

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.38.1129

Search for Particle-Bound Polyneutron Systems

Anthony Turkevich, James R. Cadieux, John Warren, Thanasis Economou, Jerome La Rosa, and H. Roland Heydegger

Phys. Rev. Lett. 38, 1129 – Published 16 May 1977

Abstract

A search for particle-bound polyneutron systems ( ${}^{6}n - {}^{12}n$ ) produced in ∼ 700-MeV proton interactions with uranium has yielded negative results. A radiochemical technique was used. The limits on production cross section— $10^{- 3}$ to $10^{- 5}$ μb—are many orders of magnitude lower than previous limits at comparable energies, are lower than predictions based on extrapolation of yields of other neutron-rich species, and are in contrast to the positive results reported recently from work with 24-GeV protons on tungsten.

Received 17 March 1977

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.38.1129

Authors & Affiliations

Anthony Turkevich, James R. Cadieux, John Warren, Thanasis Economou, Jerome La Rosa, and H. Roland Heydegger

The Enrico Fermi Institute and Chemistry Department, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, and Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, and Department of Physics, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario P7B 5E1, Canada, and Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, Calumet Campus, Hammond, Indiana 46323