The Helmut W. Baer Lecture Fund

The Helmut W. Baer Lecture Fund is a special lecture supported by a fund established by the family and friends of Dr. Helmut Baer. Dr. Baer's career in physics began with his work at the University of Michigan in 1967 where he was awarded his doctorate in nuclear physics. Between 1967 and 1991 he published over 100 articles in major scientific journals covering different areas of physics. Dr. Baer was named a Fellow of the American Physical Society in March of 1989, and to his delight enjoyed countless opportunities over the years to talk about physics at universities and conferences internationally. Dr. Baer not only pursued physics, but set himself standards for quality that were first class.

The 2004 Helmut W. Baer Lecture in Physics

Dr. Steve Lamoreaux Los Alamos National Laboratory Wednesday, February 4, 2004 Lecture in 340 West Hall at 4:00 P.M.

Ultracold Neutrons

Ultracold neutrons (UCNs) are neutrons with sufficiently low energy that they can reflect from material surfaces for all angles of incidence, and can be stored in material bottles for times approaching the beta decay lifetime of the neutron. An overview of the physics of UCN-matter interactions and UCN production will be presented, with emphasis on the new UCN source being constructed at Los Alamos. This source will be operated in conjunction with the former LAMPF accelerator. Applications of UCNs to fundamental physical investigations, which includes the search for the neutron electric dipole moment, measurement of the beta-decay lifetime of the neutron, and measurement of the beta-decay angular correlation, will be discussed.

Dr. Steve Lamoreaux's biographical sketch