Fred Wietfeldt, Ph.D.

Dr. Wietfeldt's research is in neutron physics, in particular precision neutron decay measurements and neutron interferometry. These experiments probe the basic forces of nature, test the Standard Model of particle physics, and explore quantum interactions between neutrons and matter. Experiments are conducted at national neutron science facilities such as the NIST Center for Neutron Research in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Experimental design, setup, and data analysis are done on Tulane's campus.

Recent Publications

Google Scholar Link

Detection of molecular hydrogen in a neutron beam lifetime experiment, Phys. Rev. C 112, 065501 (2025). J. Caylor, R. Biswas, B. Crawford, M. S. Dewey, N. Fomin, G. L. Greene, S. F. Hoogerheide, J. Hungria-Negron, H. P. Mumm, J. S. Nico, F. E. Wietfeldt, D. O. Valete, and J. Zuchegno.

The Neutron Lifetime Discrepancy and Its Implications for Cosmology and Dark Matter Symmetry, 19, 956 (2024). F. E. Wietfeldt.

Recoil-Order and Radiative Corrections to the aCORN Experiment, Phys. Rev. C 110, 015502 (2024). F. E. Wietfeldt, W. A. Byron, B. Collett, M. S. Dewey, T. R. Gentile, F. Gluck, M. T. Hassan, G. L. Jones, A. Komives, J. S. Nico, and E. J. Stephenson.

First Observation of Cyclotron Radiation from MeV-Scale e±  following Nuclear β Decay, Phys. Rev. Lett. 131, 082502 (2023). W. Byron, H. Harrington, R. J. Taylor, W. DeGraw, N. Buzinsky, B. Dodson, M. Fertl, A. Garc  a, G. Garvey, B. Graner, M. Guigue, L. Hayen, X. Huyan, K. S. Shaw, K. Knutsen, D. McClain, D. Melconian, P. Muller, E. Novitski, N. S. Oblath, R. G. H. Robertson, G. Rybka, G. Savard, E. Smith, D. D. Stancil, M. Sternberg, D. W. Storm, H. E. Swanson, J. R. Tedeschi, B. A. VanDevender, F. E. Wietfeldt, A. R. Young, and X. Zhu.

Measurement of the neutron decay electron-antineutrino angular correlation by the aCORN experiment, Phys. Rev. C 103, 045502 (2021). M T. Hassan, W. A. Byron, G. Darius, C. DeAngelis, F. E. Wietfeldt, B. Collett, G. L. Jones, A. Komives, G. Noid, E. J. Stephenson, F. Bateman, M. S. Dewey, T. R. Gentile, M. P. Mendenhall, and J. S. Nico.

Neutron polarimetry using a polarized 3He cell for the aCORN experiment, Nucl. Instr. Meth. A 988, 164862 (2021). B. C. Schafer, W. A. Byron, W. C. Chen, B. Collett, M. S. Dewey, ..., F. E. Wietfeldt

Precision Measurement of the Neutron Scattering Length of 4He Using Neutron Interferometry, Phys. Rev. Lett. 124, 012501 (2020). R. Haun, F. E. Wietfeldt, M. Arif, M. G. Huber, T. C. Black, ...