A comparison of two magnetic ultra-cold neutron trapping concepts using a Halbach-octupole array

This paper describes a new magnetic trap for ultra-cold neutrons (UCNs) made from a 1.2 m long Halbach-octupole array of permanent magnets with an inner bore radius of 47 mm combined with an assembly of superconducting end coils and bias field solenoid. The use of the trap in a vertical, magneto-gravitational and a horizontal setup are compared in terms of the effective volume and ability to control key systematic effects that need to be addressed in high precision neutron lifetime measurements.