Taming nuclear size and shape effects in superallowed beta-decay

TL;DR

This paper combines experimental data and ab initio calculations to analyze nuclear shape effects in superallowed beta decays, improving the precision of CKM matrix tests.

Contribution

It introduces a new integrated approach using nuclear many-body calculations and experimental data to better understand nuclear shape effects in beta decay.

Findings

More precise CKM unitarity test with reduced theoretical uncertainties

Nuclear charge form factors derived from combined data and theory

Quantified uncertainties from experiment and theory in beta decay calculations

Abstract

We present the first combined analysis of the statistical rate function f in superallowed beta decays with ab initio calculations and data. We focus on C10 to 10B, 14O to 14N and 26mAl to 26Mg, all of which are important channels for the precise determination of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) matrix element Vud. Nuclear charge form factors are obtained by combining experimental data on nuclear charge radii and theory calculations of ratios of moments with the in-medium similarity renormalization group, while the beta decay form factors are derived from exact isospin relations. This enables a rigorous study of the nuclear shape dependence in the statistical rate function f and the quantification of its uncertainties from both experiment and theory. The calculation leads to a more precise test for the first-row CKM unitarity with reduced theoretical uncertainties. This work demonstrates a reliable strategy for combining nuclear many-body calculations with high-precision nuclear data to describe beta decays at tree level for precision tests of the Standard Model.