New experimental possibility to search for the ratio of a possible T-violating amplitude to the weak-interaction amplitude in polarized neutron transmission through a polarized nuclear target

This paper considers a spin-dependent neutron interaction with optical potentials (fields) from the strong interaction, the weak interaction, and an assumed T-violating interaction. The vector sum of these fields and their interferences determines an effective field of the target with an angular position in space due to polar and azimuthal angles. The phase of the azimuthal component is found to be the sum of two angles. The tangent of the first angle is equal to the ratio of the T-violating forward-scattering amplitude D to the weak-interaction amplitude C. The quantity is of interest. The tangent of the second angle depends on the spin rotation in the residual pseudomagnetic field of the target, and it can be treated as a background effect. This paper shows that the second angle has different signs in measurements with polarized and unpolarized neutrons; thus, two measurements allow it to be compensated for. In addition, the use of the Ramsey method of separated oscillatory fields for measurement of the neutron spin rotation angle, depending on the phase of the rf field in the Ramsey cell, allows a cosine-like spectrum to be measured. This spectrum is called a phase spectrum. The phase spectra measured with polarized and unpolarized targets have a phase shift. The measurements of this phase shift with polarized and nonpolarized neutrons at a p-wave resonance enable the ratio D/C to be isolated. We also describe the algorithm for separating the ratio D/C, taking into account the influence of the fringing fields of the Ramsey coil magnet and the target magnet.