Precision branching ratio measurement for the superallowed beta+ emitter 62Ga and isospin-symmetry-breaking corrections in A>or=62 nuclei

Phys Rev Lett. 2006 Sep 8;97(10):102501. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.97.102501. Epub 2006 Sep 7.

Abstract

A high-precision branching ratio measurement for the superallowed beta+ decay of 62Ga was performed at the Isotope Separator and Accelerator radioactive ion beam facility. Nineteen gamma rays emitted following beta+ decay of 62Ga were identified, establishing the dominant superallowed branching ratio to be (99.861+/-0.011)%. Combined with recent half-life and Q-value measurements, this branching ratio yields a superallowed ft value of 3075.6+/-1.4 s for 62Ga decay. These results demonstrate the feasibility of high-precision superallowed branching ratio measurements in the A>or=62 mass region and provide the first stringent tests of the large isospin-symmetry-breaking effects predicted for these decays.