Abstract.
We have studied neutron quantum states in the potential well formed by the earth’s gravitational field and a horizontal mirror. The estimated characteristic sizes of the neutron wave functions in the two lowest quantum states correspond to expectations with an experimental accuracy. A position-sensitive neutron detector with an extra-high spatial resolution of \(\sim 2 \mathrm{\mu} \)m was developed and tested for this particular experiment, to be used to measure the spatial density distribution in a standing neutron wave above a mirror for a set of some of the lowest quantum states. The present experiment can be used to set an upper limit for an additional short-range fundamental force. We studied methodological uncertainties as well as the feasibility of improving further the accuracy of this experiment.
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Received: 31 July 2004, Published online: 7 March 2005
PACS:
03.65, 28.20
Correspondence to: V. Nesvizhevsky
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Nesvizhevsky, V.V., Petukhov, A.K., Börner, H.G. et al. Study of the neutron quantum states in the gravity field. Eur. Phys. J. C 40, 479–491 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s2005-02135-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s2005-02135-y