The puzzle of neutron lifetime
Keywords
Neutron lifetime_s19 UCN_s19 Neutron storage_s19 Primordial nucleosynthesis_s19 CKM matrix
Abstract
In this paper we review the role of the neutron lifetime and discuss the present status of measurements. In view of the large discrepancy observed by the two most precise individual measurements so far we describe the different techniques and point out principle strengths and weaknesses. In particular we discuss the estimation of systematic uncertainties and its correlation to the statistical ones. In order to solve the present puzzle, many new experiments are either ongoing or being proposed. An overview on their possible contribution to this field will be given.
