Status of the standard vector—axial-vector model for nuclear beta decay

Abstract

The complete set of experimental results on correlations in nuclear beta decay is analyzed in terms of the general Hamiltonian including scalar, vector, axial vector, and tensor interactions with an arbitrary degree of parity violation. It is concluded that the standard vector minus axial-vector model with maximal parity violation (left-handed lepton current) is compatible with the data and rigorous limits are obtained for the values of possible additional coupling constants. In the scalar and tensor case the new constraints are considerably tighter than those published before: |CS / CV| and |CS′ / CV|≤0.2, |(CS+CS′) / CV|≤0.06; |CT / CA| and |CT′ / CA|≤0.09, |(CT+CT′) / CA|≤0.01, all at the 95% confidence level. On the other hand, rather large admixtures of the right-handed lepton currents (CV′ / CV≠1 or CA′ / CA≠1) are allowed by the data. An analysis of the correlations between various coupling constants implied by the data is also performed.

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