ABSTRACT
This paper describes the recent progresses concerning the on-line ion source at the Tri University Meson Factory/Isotope Separator and ACcelerator (TRIUMF/ISAC) Radioactive Ion-Beam Facility; description of the new design of the surface-ion-source for improved stability of the beam intensity, description of the transport path to the east target station at ISAC, description of the new brazing techniques that solved recurrent problems with water leaks on the target/ion source assembly in the vacuum system, finally, recent developments concerning the Forced Electron Beam Induced Arc Discharge (FEBIAD) ion source are reported. In particular, a study on the effect of the plasma chamber volume on the ionization efficiency was completed.
ABSTRACT
We have set limits on contributions of scalar interactions to nuclear beta decay. A magneto-optical trap provides a localized source of atoms suspended in space, so the low-energy recoiling nuclei can freely escape and be detected in coincidence with the beta. This allows reconstruction of the neutrino momentum, and the measurement of the beta-nu correlation, in a more direct fashion than previously possible. The beta-nu correlation parameter of the 0(+)-->0(+) pure Fermi decay of (38)K(m) is a =0.9981+/-0.0030+0.0032 / -0.0037, consistent with the standard model prediction a =1.
ABSTRACT
A new technique, full neutrino momentum reconstruction, is used to set limits on the admixture of heavy neutrinos into the electron neutrino. We measure coincidences between nuclear recoils and positrons from the beta decay of trapped radioactive atoms and deduce the neutrino momentum. A search for peaks in the reconstructed recoil time-of-flight spectrum as a function of positron energy is performed. The admixture upper limits range from 4 x 10(-3) to 2 x 10(-2) and are the best direct limits for neutrinos (as opposed to antineutrinos) for the mass region of 0.7 to 3.5 MeV.
