Paper

Constraining new physics with a novel measurement of the \\(^{23}\\)Ne \\(\\beta\\)-decay branching ratio

Mishnayot, Yonatan, Gazit, Doron, Gazda, Daniel, Hirsch, Tsviki, ssén, Christian, Menéndez, Javier, Weissman, Leonid, Kaizer, Boaz, Rahangdale, Hitesh, Hodaya Daphna, Ohayon, Ben, Guy, Ron, Glick-Magid, Ayala, Kreisel, Arik, Hughes, Richard O, Hass, Micha, Scielzo, Nicholas D, Navrátil, Petr, Gallant, Aaron, Gysbers, Peter, Buzaglo, Maayan, Harke, Jason T, Vaintruab, Sergey

2021

Overview

Measurements of the beta-neutrino correlation coefficient (a\\(_{\\beta\\nu}\\)) in nuclear beta decay, together with the Fierz interference term (b\\(_F\\)), provide a robust test for the existence of exotic interactions beyond the Standard Model of Particle Physics. The extraction of these quantities from the recoil ion spectra in \\(\\beta\\)-decay requires accurate knowledge, decay branching ratios, and high-precision calculations of higher order nuclear effects. Here, we report on a new measurement of the \\(^{23}\\)Ne \\(\\beta\\)-decay branching ratio, which allows a reanalysis of existing high-precision measurements. Together with new theoretical calculations of nuclear structure effects, augmented with robust theoretical uncertainty, this measurement improves on the current knowledge of a\\(_{\\beta\\nu}\\) in \\(^{23}\\)Ne by an order of magnitude, and strongly constrains the Fierz term in beta decays, making this one of the first extractions to constrain both terms simultaneously. Together, these results place bounds on the existence of exotic tensor interactions and pave the way for new, even higher precision, experiments.

• Publisher: Cornell University Library, arXiv.org
• Subject: Beta decay / Correlation coefficients / Mathematical analysis / Neutrinos / Nuclear structure / Particle physics / Recoil ions / Robustness / Standard model (particle physics) / Tensors