A Quantitative Reconciliation Model for Neutron Lifetime Measurements

We present a comprehensive quantitative analysis of the neutron lifetime discrepancy
between beam and bottle experiments. Through rigorous statistical analysis, we demonstrate
that two experimental systematics—temperature-dependent quasi-elastic scattering in
Fomblin-coated UCN bottles and backscattering extrapolation bias in proton-beam
measurements—can account for the observed differences. When empirically calibrated
corrections are applied, all measurements converge to τn = 877.92 ± 0.30 s with χ2/dof = 0.39,
representing a 93.8% improvement in statistical quality. We outline falsifiable predictions for
experimental verification and discuss the implications for Standard Model tests.