Sprecher
Beschreibung
Bound-state beta decay is an exotic nuclear process in which the emitted electron is created directly into a vacant atomic orbital rather than being released into the continuum. This rare decay mode becomes significantly more probable in highly charged ions and requires long-duration storage measurements, conditions that are uniquely achievable at storage ring facilities. To date, all experimental studies of bound-state beta decay have been conducted at the Experimental Storage Ring (ESR) at the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research in Darmstadt, Germany.
In this talk, I will present recent results from the FAIR Phase-0 program at the ESR, with a focus on the first-ever direct measurement of bound-state beta decay in fully ionized thallium ($^{205}$Tl$^{81+}$). The experimentally determined half-life deviates significantly from theoretical estimates, with potential implications for our understanding of elemental abundances in the early universe [1] and solar neutrinos [2]. I will also discuss the next planned experiment at the ESR: a measurement of both the continuum and bound-state beta decay of $^{134}$Cs, a key waiting-point nucleus along the s-process nucleosynthesis path.
References
[1] G. Leckenby et al., Nature 635, 321 (2024).
[2] R. S. Sidhu et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 133, 232701 (2024).
