Beta asymmetry parameter in the decay of 114In

The beta asymmetry parameter A for the pure Gamow-Teller decay of 114In is reported. The low temperature nuclear orientation method was combined with a GEANT4 based simulation code allowing for the first time to address in detail the effects of scattering and of the magnetic field. The result, A = -0.994 +/- 0.010stat +/- 0.010syst, constitutes the most accurate value for the asymmetry parameter of a nuclear beta transition to date. The value is in agreement with the Standard Model prediction of A = -1 and provides new limits on tensor type charged weak currents.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures; additional information was added on systematic effects, the magnetic field map and the calculation of the Qcos(theta) value

The half-life of 221^{221}Fr in Si and Au at 4K and at mK temperatures

The half-life of the $\alpha$ decaying nucleus $^{221}$Fr was determined in different environments, i.e. embedded in Si at 4 K, and embedded in Au at 4 K and about 20 mK. No differences in half-life for these different conditions were observed within 0.1%. Furthermore, we quote a new value for the absolute half-life of $^{221}$Fr of t$_{1/2}$ = 286.1(10) s, which is of comparable precision to the most precise value available in literature

Precision measurements of the 60^{60}Co β\beta-asymmetry parameter in search for tensor currents in weak interactions

The $\beta$-asymmetry parameter $\widetilde{A}$ for the Gamow-Teller decay of $^{60}$Co was measured by polarizing the radioactive nuclei with the brute force low-temperature nuclear-orientation method. The $^{60}$Co activity was cooled down to milliKelvin temperatures in a $^3$He-$^4$He dilution refrigerator in an external 13 T magnetic field. The $\beta$ particles were observed by a 500 ${\mu}m$ thick Si PIN diode operating at a temperature of about 10 K in a magnetic field of 0.6 T. Extensive GEANT4 Monte-Carlo simulations were performed to gain control over the systematic effects. Our result, $\widetilde{A} = -1.014(12)_{stat}(16)_{syst}$, is in agreement with the Standard-Model value of $-0.987(9)$, which includes recoil-order corrections that were addressed for the first time for this isotope. Further, it enables limits to be placed on possible tensor-type charged weak currents as well as other physics beyond the Standard Model

Hyperfine Field and Hyperfine Anomalies of Copper Impurities in Iron

A new value for the hyperfine magnetic field of copper impurities in iron is obtained by combining resonance frequencies from experiments involving {\beta}-NMR on oriented nuclei on 59-Cu, 69-Cu, and 71-Cu with magnetic moment values from collinear laser spectroscopy measurements on these isotopes. The resulting value, i.e., Bhf(CuFe) = -21.794(10) T, is in agreement with the value adopted until now but is an order of magnitude more precise. It is consistent with predictions from ab initio calculations. Comparing the hyperfine field values obtained for the individual isotopes, the hyperfine anomalies in Fe were determined to be 59{\Delta}69=0.15(9)% and 71{\Delta}69=0.07(11)%.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, 3 table

Ft\mathcal{F}t values of the mirror β transitions and the weak-magnetism-induced current in allowed nuclear β decay

The precision of correlation measurements in neutron and nuclear β decay has now reached the level of about 1% and better. At this level of precision, higher-order corrections such as recoil-order corrections induced by the strong interaction and radiative corrections cannot necessarily be neglected anymore. We provide here an update of the $\mathcal{F}t$ values of the isospin T = 1/2 mirror β decays including the neutron, of interest to determine the V$_{ud}$ quark-mixing matrix element. We also provide an overview of current experimental and theoretical knowledge of the most important recoil term, weak magnetism, for both these mirror β decays and a large set of β decays in higher isospin multiplets. The matrix elements determining weak magnetism were calculated in the nuclear shell model and cross-checked against experimental data, showing overall good agreement. We show that the neutron and the mirror nuclei now effectively contribute to the value of V$_{ud}$, but we also stress the need for further work on the radiative correction $\Delta_{R}^{V}$. Our results provide new insight into the size of weak magnetism, extending the available information to nuclei with masses up to A = 75. This provides important guidance for planning and improved sensitivity for interpreting correlation measurements in searches for new physics or to extract V$_{ud}$ in mirror β decays. It can also be of interest for further theoretical work related to the reactor neutrino problem

Simbuca, using a graphics card to simulate Coulomb interactions in a penning trap

In almost all cases, N-body simulations are limited by the computation time available. Coulomb interaction calculations scale with O(N(2)) with N the number of particles. Approximation methods exist already to reduce the computation time to O(NlogN) although calculating the interaction still dominates the total simulation time. We present Simbuca, a simulation package for thousands of ions moving in a Penning trap which will be applied for the WITCH experiment. Simbuca uses the output of the Cunbody-1 library, which calculates the gravitational interaction between entities on a graphics card, and adapts it for Coulomb calculations. Furthermore the program incorporates three realistic buffer gas models, the possibility of importing realistic electric and magnetic fieldmaps and different order integrators with adaptive step size and error control. The software is released under the GNU General Public License and free for use. Crown Copyright (C) 2010 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Computer controls for the WITCH experiment

The WITCH experiment is a medium-scale experimental set-up located at ISOLDE/CERN. It combines a double Penning trap system with,a retardation spectrometer for energy measurements of recoil ions from beta decay. For a correct operation of such a set-up a whole range of different devices is required. Along with the installation and optimization of the set-up a computer control system was developed to control these devices. The CS-Framework that is developed and maintained at GSI, was chosen as a basis for this control system as it is perfectly suited to handle the distributed nature of a control system.We report here on the required hardware for WITCH, along with the basis of this CS-Framework and the add-ons that were implemented for WITCH. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Computer controls for the WITCH experiment

The WITCH experiment is a medium-scale experimental set-up located at ISOLDE/CERN. It combines a double Penning trap system with,a retardation spectrometer for energy measurements of recoil ions from beta decay. For a correct operation of such a set-up a whole range of different devices is required. Along with the installation and optimization of the set-up a computer control system was developed to control these devices. The CS-Framework that is developed and maintained at GSI, was chosen as a basis for this control system as it is perfectly suited to handle the distributed nature of a control system.We report here on the required hardware for WITCH, along with the basis of this CS-Framework and the add-ons that were implemented for WITCH.status: publishe