Abstract and subjects
The UCNtau project is intended to develop a new measurement of the neutron lifetime using ultra-cold neutrons (UCNs) stored in a magneto-gravitational trap. In this article, we will describe the development of the experiment so far, including the trap itself, the UCN transport and monitoring system, the neutron detection methods, and the Monte Carlo simulations that have been used to model these elements. Finally, we will describe the first systematic effects that we plan to study using this apparatus.