Detection system to study fundamental interactions in B decay of 21Na

PhD ceremony: Mr. D.J. van der Hoek, 16.15 uur, Academiegebouw, Broerstraat 5, Groningen

Dissertation: Detection system to study fundamental interactions in B decay of ²¹ Na

Promotor(s): prof. H.W.E.M. Wilschut

Faculty: Mathematics and Natural Sciences

In the TRIμP group at the KVI precision experiments are performed to search for new physics. The Standard Model of elementary particles describes nature at the smallest scale: what are the elementary particles and how do they interact? It is an extremely successful theory, but there are reasons to assume this is not the full story. Therefore, there are experiments that search beyond this theory.

In this experiment unstable ²¹Na is trapped in a laser atom trap and studied. When an atom decays inside the trap, the correlations between the reaction product's speed and direction are measured. With this measurement we study ' time reversal violation' in nature. If some degree of time reversal violation is measured, this would be something new. Within the Standard Model, this effect is immeasurably small.

In this thesis the detection system is studied and further developed. A simulation was done to study systematic effects and to determine the required measurement time in the final experiment.