445 research outputs found
Measurement of the half-life of 198Au in a non-metal: High-precision measurement shows no host-material dependence
We have measured the half-life of the beta decay of 198Au to be 2.6948(9) d,
with the nuclide sited in an insulating environment. Comparing this result with
the half-life we measured previously with a metallic environment, we find the
half-lives in both environments to be the same within 0.04%, thus contradicting
a prediction that screening from a "plasma" of quasi-free electrons in a metal
increases the half-life by as much as 7%
Tailoring the Business Modelling Method for R&D
While the benefits of innovation seem to be clear intuitively, Research and Development (R&D) organisations are struggling to show the value they add. Especially in times of crisis, the result is that they get the first budget cuts to reduce costs in the short term. This causes companies, industries, or even whole economies, to lose competitive advantage in the long run. The field of business modelling deals with the creation and capturing of value. However, it has not yet provided a method tailored to R&D previously. Building upon earlier work on business modelling, we adapt the Business Modelling Method (BMM) to the field of R&D
Branching ratios for the beta decay of 21Na
We have measured the beta-decay branching ratio for the transition from 21Na
to the first excited state of 21Ne. A recently published test of the standard
model, which was based on a measurement of the beta-nu correlation in the decay
of 21Na, depended on this branching ratio. However, until now only relatively
imprecise (and, in some cases, contradictory) values existed for it. Our new
result, 4.74(4)%, reduces but does not remove the reported discrepancy with the
standard model.Comment: Revtex4, 2 fig
Experimental Validation of the Largest Calculated Isospin-Symmetry-Breaking Effect in a Superallowed Fermi Decay
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 breaking 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
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