On the possible detection of 4n events in the breakup of 14Be

Abstract

In a recent paper --F.M. Marques et al, PRC 65 (2002) 044006-- a new approach to the production and detection of free neutron clusters was proposed and applied to data acquired for the breakup of 14Be. Six events that exhibited characteristics consistent with a bound tetraneutron were observed in coincidence with 10Be fragments. Here, two issues that were not considered in the original paper are addressed: namely the signal expected from a low-energy 4n resonance, and the detection of a bound 4n through proccesses other than elastic scattering by a proton. Searches complementary to the original study are also briefly noted.