Dissertation Title: A High-Precision Neutron Lifetime Measurement with UCNtau
Abstract: Neutron beta decay provides a way to probe the Standard Model through tests of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) matrix, as well as being important for understanding Big Bang Nucleosynthesis. UCNtau is a neutron lifetime experiment which uses a magneto-gravitational bottle to trap neutrons for some period of time before counting them, allowing for a determination of the neutron lifetime. This work will describe the analysis of the data taken from 2020 to 2022. The analysis consists of reconstructing neutron counts and applying corrections before determining the neutron lifetime. In addition to the main analysis, an alternative analysis technique using Gaussian processes was developed to address a set of data that had usually large drifts due to water that was introduced into the trap as part of a systematics test.
