Test of the conserved vector current hypothesis in T=1/2 mirror transitions and new determination of |V ud|

First Observation of Cyclotron Radiation from MeV-Scale e^{±} following Nuclear β Decay

We present an apparatus for detection of cyclotron radiation yielding a frequency-based β^{±} kinetic energy determination in the 5 keV to 2.1 MeV range, characteristic of nuclear β decays. The cyclotron frequency of the radiating β particles in a magnetic field is used to determine the β energy precisely. Our work establishes the foundation to apply the cyclotron radiation emission spectroscopy (CRES) technique, developed by the Project 8 Collaboration, far beyond the 18-keV tritium endpoint region. We report initial measurements of β^{-}'s from ^{6}He and β^{+}'s from ^{19}Ne decays to demonstrate the broadband response of our detection system and assess potential systematic uncertainties for β spectroscopy over the full (MeV) energy range. To our knowledge, this is the first direct observation of cyclotron radiation from individual highly relativistic β's in a waveguide. This work establishes the application of CRES to a variety of nuclei, opening its reach to searches for new physics beyond the TeV scale via precision β-decay measurements.

Model-Independent Determination of Nuclear Weak Form Factors and Implications for Standard Model Precision Tests

We analyze the recoil corrections in superallowed beta decays of T=1, J^{P}=0^{+} nuclei by fixing the mean square charged weak radius model independently using the data of multiple charge radii across the nuclear isotriplet. By comparing to model estimations, we argue that the existing theory uncertainty in the statistical rate function f might have been substantially underestimated. We discuss the implications of our proposed strategy for precision tests of the standard model, including a potential alleviation of the first-row CKM unitarity deficit, and motivate new experiments for charge radii measurements.

Pion-Induced Radiative Corrections to Neutron β Decay

We compute the electromagnetic corrections to neutron β decay using a low-energy hadronic effective field theory. We identify new radiative corrections arising from virtual pions that were missed in previous studies. The largest correction is a percent-level shift in the axial charge of the nucleon proportional to the electromagnetic part of the pion-mass splitting. Smaller corrections, comparable to anticipated experimental precision, impact the β-ν angular correlations and the β asymmetry. We comment on implications of our results for the comparison of the experimentally measured nucleon axial charge with first-principles computations using lattice QCD and on the potential of β decay experiments to constrain beyond-the-standard-model interactions.

Precision Measurement of the β Asymmetry in Spin-Polarized ^{37}K Decay

Using Triumf's neutral atom trap, Trinat, for nuclear β decay, we have measured the β asymmetry with respect to the initial nuclear spin in ^{37}K to be A_{β}=-0.5707(13)_{syst}(13)_{stat}(5)_{pol}, a 0.3% measurement. This is the best relative accuracy of any β-asymmetry measurement in a nucleus or the neutron, and is in agreement with the standard model prediction -0.5706(7). We compare constraints on physics beyond the standard model with other β-decay measurements, and improve the value of V_{ud} measured in this mirror nucleus by a factor of 4.

High Precision Determination of the β Decay Q(EC) Value of (11)C and Implications on the Tests of the Standard Model

We report the determination of the Q(EC) value of the mirror transition of (11)C by measuring the atomic masses of (11)C and (11)B using Penning trap mass spectrometry. More than an order of magnitude improvement in precision is achieved as compared to the 2012 Atomic Mass Evaluation (Ame2012) [Chin. Phys. C 36, 1603 (2012)]. This leads to a factor of 3 improvement in the calculated Ft value. Using the new value, Q(EC)=1981.690(61)  keV, the uncertainty on Ft is no longer dominated by the uncertainty on the Q(EC) value. Based on this measurement, we provide an updated estimate of the Gamow-Teller to Fermi mixing ratio and standard model values of the correlation coefficients.

Extending the applicability of an open-ring trap to perform experiments with a single laser-cooled ion

A special ion trap was initially built up to perform β-ν correlation experiments with radioactive ions. The trap geometry is also well suited to perform experiments with laser-cooled ions, serving for the development of a new type of Penning trap, in the framework of the project TRAPSENSOR at the University of Granada. The goal of this project is to use a single (40)Ca(+) ion as detector for single-ion mass spectrometry. Within this project and without any modification to the initial electrode configuration, it was possible to perform Doppler cooling on (40)Ca(+) ions, starting from large clouds and reaching single ion sensitivity. This new feature of the trap might be important also for other experiments with ions produced at radioactive ion beam facilities. In this publication, the trap and the laser system will be described, together with their performance with respect to laser cooling applied to large ion clouds down to a single ion.

High-precision measurement of the 19Ne half-life and implications for right-handed weak currents

We report a precise determination of the (19)Ne half-life to be T(1/2)=17.262±0.007 s. This result disagrees with the most recent precision measurements and is important for placing bounds on predicted right-handed interactions that are absent in the current standard model. We are able to identify and disentangle two competing systematic effects that influence the accuracy of such measurements. Our findings prompt a reassessment of results from previous high-precision lifetime measurements that used similar equipment and methods.