Search for Radiative ß-Decay of the Free Neutron.

Results of the first experiment to search for the radiative decay mode of the free neutron are reported. The γ-spectrum was studied in the energy region from 35 keV to 100 keV in six Cs(Tl) scintillators, each set at an angle of 35° to, and shielded from, a central plastic scintillator electron detector. Triple coincidences were recorded with recoil protons detected in a micro-channel plate. A limit for the branching ratio BR < 6.9 × 10(-3) (90 % confidence level) was obtained, which is greater that the theoretical prediction by not more than a few tenths of a percent.