Rare $\beta$p decays in light nuclei

TL;DR

This paper investigates the rare beta-delayed proton decays in light nuclei, estimating their rates and reporting initial experimental attempts to detect these extremely low-probability events.

Contribution

It provides the first experimental estimates and upper limits for beta-delayed proton emission rates in $^{11}$Be and $^8$B, highlighting their potential physical significance.

Findings

Branching ratio for $^{11}$Be: $(2.5 imes 10^{-6}) \

Upper limit for $^8$B: $2.6 imes 10^{-5}$ at 95% confidence

Abstract

Beta-delayed proton emission may occur at very low rates in the decays of the light nuclei $^{11}$Be and $^8$B. This paper explores the potential physical significance of such decays, estimates their rates and reports on first attempts to detect them: an experiment at ISOLDE/CERN gives a branching ratio for $^{11}$Be of $(2.5 \pm 2.5) \cdot 10^{-6}$ and an experiment at JYFL a 95% confidence upper limit of $2.6 \cdot 10^{-5}$ for $^8$B.