A Composite Solution to the Neutron Bottle Anomaly
  Measurements of the lifetime of neutrons trapped in a bottle have been
consistently shorter than the lifetime measured in neutron beam experiments.
With trapping potentials as low as 50 neV and neutron detectors located only at
the top of the bottle, this discrepancy could be the result of the soft
scattering of dark matter with neutrons. However, it is challenging to obtain
the observed loss rate in conventional models of dark matter scattering. We
show that this phenomenology is possible in composite models of dark matter
where the soft scattering is from dark matter that has been captured and
accumulated in the earth. This solution can be tested by placing more neutron
detectors around the trap, providing better angular coverage. The phenomenology
of soft scattering by trapped composite dark matter is generic and suggests new
experimental directions that could be pursued to detect this large class of
models.
