Use of Image Charge Detection in a Penning trap for a Neutron Lifetime Beam Measurement

The neutron lifetime has been measured using the in-beam and bottle methods. However, the two results disagree by about 10 s, a 4-sigma difference. In the BL2 in-beam experiment, protons resulting from neutron decay were trapped as the neutron beam passed through a cylindrical Penning trap, then released and counted on an external proton detector. Improvements to the BL2 experiment are ongoing and are expected to lead to improved statistical uncertainties. However, an alternative novel technique for detecting ions that could lead to improved efficiency in proton detection is the use of image charge detection inside the Penning trap. This technique has been used for many years in Penning trap applications ranging from analytical chemistry, measurements of the electron g-factor, and tests of CPT with trapped anti-matter. In this presentation we will discuss initial plans to investigate the use of image charge detection of protons from neutron decay in an in-beam neutron lifetime experiment.