Speaker
Description
Speaker: Akshatha Vydula
Abstract: The measurement of neutron lifetime has been a project in progress for several decades, now being actively researched by many independent groups around the globe. The precise measurement of the mean lifetime of the neutron is significant to improve predictions of Big Bang Nucleosynthesis, and to constrain the search for physics beyond the Standard Model. Current laboratory measurements are accurate to 1%; however they differ by over 5 sigma that can’t be explained by statistical or systematic errors, thus the problem remains unsolved. In this talk I will show the technique of space-based neutron lifetime measurement using data from the Lunar Prospector mission, and discuss two large systematic uncertainties in such measurements (Vydula +2025).
Additionally, I will give an update on the deployment and observation of the absolutely calibrated zero-level map of the radio emissions at 310 MHz using Green Bank Telescope. This measurement is aided by a custom under-illuminated antenna feed and a balanced correlation receiver. Such a skymap is crucial for many areas of astrophysics, including insights into CMB foregrounds, radio synchrotron background and excess radio background in the early Universe. Note that this project update was previously presented by Dr. Jack Singal in CETUP 2025.