Nuclear scientists calculate value of key property that drives neutron decay

Using some of the world's most powerful supercomputers, an international team including scientists from several U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories has released the highest-precision calculation of a fundamental property of protons and neutrons known as nucleon axial coupling. This quantity determines the strength of the interaction that triggers neutrons to decay into protons--and can therefore be used to more accurately predict how long neutrons are expected to "live." The re...