Measurement of neutron scattering from noble gas to search for a short-range unknown force

Abstract

We are searching for an unknown force that could couple to mass using neutron scattering from a noble gas. The neutron is a chargeless massive particle with a long lifetime, which consequently is suitable for the precise measurement of a small interaction with a range of the order of 1nm by measurements of the momentum transfer distribution. We measured neutron scattering at the low-divergence beam branch on the BL05 NOP beamline in the Materials and Life Science Experimental Facility (MLF) at the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC). We report recent experimental data.