A new scientific instrument will examine the products of the neutron decay, protons and electrons, with highest quality and intensity. The construction of the instrument, that is planned and erected by several universities and institutes as well as by the excellence cluster universe of the TUM, is funded by the German Research Association (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG) with a sum of 2 million euro. The funding is within the framework of the priority programm called "Precision Experiments in Particle and Astrophysics with Cold and Ultracold Neutrons".
The instrument is called PERC (Proton Electron Radiation Channel) and will be built in the new neutron guide hall east at the FRM II and use the beam of MEPHISTO. It is huge: The primary spectrometer will encompass 10 metres times 5 metres. In total the required space is 23 metres. The decay products of the neutron will be measured ten times more precise than with similar instruments.
Prof. Dr. Torsten Soldner, who is part of the project team and professor at the chair E 18 at the physics department of the Technische Universität München (TUM) explains, why the location of PERC is ideal: "The distance to other instruments will be large enough. Therefore the precise measurements at PERC will be undisturbed." Next to the TUM and the FRM II, also the Institut Laue Langevin in France, the TU Wien, the universities in Heidelberg and Mainz are part of the construction team of PERC.