This article is cited in 10 papers

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Helium-isotope mass-spectrometric method for studying tritium beta decay (idea, experiment, nuclear and molecular physics applications)

Yu. A. Akulov, B. A. Mamyrin

Ioffe Physico-Technical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences

Abstract: Experimental data on the variation of tritium nucleus beta decay constant caused by the interaction of the resulting beta-electron with orbital electrons and shell vacancies are reviewed for free atomic tritium and molecular tritium and used to obtain the half-life of atomic tritium (T_1/2)_a=(12.264±0.018) y, the half-life of the free triton (T_1/2)_t=(12.238±0.020) y, the axial-vector-to-vector weak-interaction coupling constant ratio (G_A/G_V)_t=–1.2646 ± 0.0035 for beta decay of the triton, and an independent estimate of the free neutron lifetime τ_n= (890.3 ± 3.9_stat ± 1.4_syst) s.

PACS: 14.20.Dh, 23.40.-s, 25.55.-e

Received: December 17, 2002
Revised: June 16, 2003

DOI: 10.3367/UFNr.0173.200311c.1187

 English version: Physics–Uspekhi, 2003, 46:11, 1153–1162

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