OBSERVATION OF A LARGE PARITY NONCONSERVING ANALYZING POWER IN XE

A large parity nonconserving longitudinal analyzing power was discover ed in polarized-neutron transmission through Xe. An analyzing power of 4.3+/-0.2% was observed in a p-wave resonance at E(n)=3.2 eV. The mea surement was performed with a liquid Xe target of natural isotopic abu ndance that was placed in the polarized epithermal neutron beam, fligh t path 2, at the Manuel Lujan Neutron Science Center. This apparatus w as constructed by the TRIPLE Collaboration, and has been used for stud ies of parity symmetry in compound nuclear resonances. Part of the mot ivation of the experiment was to discover a nucleus appropriate for a sensitive test of time-reversal invariance in polarized-neutron transm ission. The large analyzing power of the observed resonance may make i t possible to design a test of time reversal invariance using a polari zed-Xe target.