Electron-capture branch of 100Tc and tests of nuclear wave functions for double-beta decays

TL;DR

This paper reports a precise measurement of the electron-capture branch of 100Tc, revealing a larger neutrino absorption cross section than previously estimated, which impacts theoretical models of double-beta decay.

Contribution

It provides the first accurate measurement of the electron-capture branch of 100Tc, refining nuclear data crucial for double-beta decay studies and testing nuclear wave function models.

Findings

Electron-capture branch of 100Tc measured as (2.6 ± 0.4) × 10^{-5}

Neutrino absorption cross section to 100Tc ground state is about one third larger than previous estimates

Results reduce discrepancies between experimental data and QRPA calculations for double-beta decay

Abstract

We present a measurement of the electron-capture branch of $^{100}$Tc. Our value, $B(\text{EC}) = (2.6 \pm 0.4) \times 10^{-5}$, implies that the $^{100}$Mo neutrino absorption cross section to the ground state of $^{100}$Tc is roughly one third larger than previously thought. Compared to previous measurements, our value of $B(\text{EC})$ prevents a smaller disagreement with QRPA calculations relevant to double-$\beta$ decay matrix elements.