Deuterated Polystyrene -- Synthesis and uses for ultracold neutron bottles and the neutron EDM experiment

Abstract

The synthesis and application of deuterated polystyrene (dps) films is discussed. Ultracold neutron storage properties and the Fermi potential of dps films is measured with the result that Tstore=700 +/- 200 sec for dps in the bottle used and the Fermi potential is about 165neV. The behavior under application of high electric fields in vacuum is measured; the films are sufficiently stable to use in a neutron EDM bottle. Also, the relaxation rate of nuclear spin polarized 199Hg on dps films is measured giving a wall lifetime of 20 sec/cm mean free path, which should make the development of an Hg volume magnetometer possible.