The correlations of the decay products following the beta decay of nuclei have a long history of providing a low-energy probe of the fundamental symmetries of our universe. Over half a century ago, the correlation of the electrons following the decay
of polarized 60Co demonstrated that parity is not conserved in weak interactions. Today, the same basic idea continues to be applied to search for physics beyond the standard model: make precision measurements of correlation parameters and look for deviations compared to their standard model predictions. Efforts to measure these parameters to the 0.1% level utilizing atom and ion trapping techniques are described.
The half-life of tsups{37}K has been measured to be $1.23651(94)~mathrm{s}$, a value nearly an order of magnitude more precise than the best previously reported. The $beta^+$ decay of tsups{37}K occurs mainly via a superallowed branch to the ground-s
tate of its $T=1/2$ mirror, tsups{37}Ar. This transition has been used recently, together with similar transitions from four other nuclei, as an alternative test of CVC and method for determining $V_{ud}$, but the precision of its $ft$ value was limited by the relatively large half-life uncertainty. Our result corrects that situation. Another motivation for improving the $ft$ value was to determine the standard-model prediction for the $beta$-decay correlation parameters, which will be compared to those currently being measured by the trinat{} collaboration at triumf. The new $ft$ value, $4605(8)~mathrm{s}$, is now limited in precision by the $97.99(14)%$ ground-state branching ratio.
Background: Models to calculate small isospin-symmetry-breaking effects in superallowed Fermi decays have been placed under scrutiny in recent years. A stringent test of these models is to measure transitions for which the correction is predicted to
be large. The decay of 32Cl decay provides such a test case. Purpose: To improve the gamma yields following the beta decay of 32Cl and to determine the ft values of the the beta branches, particularly the one to the isobaric-analogue state in 32S. Method: Reaction-produced and recoil-spectrometer-separated 32Cl is collected in tape and transported to a counting location where beta-gamma coincidences are measured with a precisely-calibrated HPGe detector. Results: The precision on the gamma yields for most of the known beta branches has been improved by about an order of magnitude, and many new transitions have been observed. We have determined 32Cl-decay transition strengths extending up to E_x~11 MeV. The ft value for the decay to the isobaric-analogue state in 32S has been measured. A comparison to a shell-model calculation shows good agreement. CONCLUSIONS: We have experimentally determined the isospin-symmetry-breaking correction to the superallowed transition of this decay to be (delta_C-delta_NS)_exp=5.4(9)%, significantly larger than for any other known superallowed Fermi transition. This correction agrees with a shell-model calculation, which yields delta_C-delta_NS=4.8(5)%. Our results also provide a way to improve the measured ft values for the beta decay of 32Ar.
A precision measurement of the gamma yields following the beta decay of 32Cl has determined its isobaric analogue branch to be (22.47^{+0.21}_{-0.19})%. Since it is an almost pure Fermi decay, we can also determine the amount of isospin-symmetry brea
king in this superallowed transition. We find a very large value, delta_C=5.3(9)%, in agreement with a shell-model calculation. This result sets a benchmark for isospin-symmetry-breaking calculations and lends support for similarly-calculated, yet smaller, corrections that are currently applied to 0+ -> 0+ transitions for tests of the Standard Model.
We present a measurement of the electron-capture branch of $^{100}$Tc. Our value, $B(text{EC}) = (2.6 pm 0.4) times 10^{-5}$, implies that the $^{100}$Mo neutrino absorption cross section to the ground state of $^{100}$Tc is roughly one third larger
than previously thought. Compared to previous measurements, our value of $B(text{EC})$ prevents a smaller disagreement with QRPA calculations relevant to double-$beta$ decay matrix elements.
