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Lecture 12
Beta Decay - continued
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Recap of Lecture 11
2𝜋
Fermi’s Golden Rule: 𝜆 = 𝑉𝑓𝑖 2ρ(Ef)
ℏ

• A means of calculating the half-life or decay constant directly from nuclear

wave functions

Density of final states

𝑑𝑁𝑓 Many possible states =
ρ(Ef) ≡ 𝑑𝐸 greater transition probability
0

Shape of spectrum:
𝑑𝑁𝑓
𝑑𝐸0
∝ 𝑝𝑒2 𝐸0 − 𝐸𝑒 2𝑑𝑝𝑒
= phase space factor

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𝑑𝑁𝑓
∝ 𝑑𝜆 ∝ 𝑝𝑒2 𝐸0 − 𝐸𝑒 2𝑑𝑝𝑒 𝐹(𝑍, 𝐸𝑒 )
𝑑𝐸0

F(Z, Ee) is a correction factor, the Fermi function. It takes into account
Coulomb distortion (Z is the atomic number of the daughter)

• The differential decay probability, dλ, is proportional to the

measured β-decay intensity
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The total decay rate can be obtained by integrating dλ:

𝜆∝ 𝐹 𝑍, 𝐸𝑒 𝑝𝑒2 𝐸0 − 𝐸𝑒 2 𝑑𝑝
𝑒

∝ f(Z, Eo)

Fermi integral (``energy-dependent statistical rate function´´)

• The function f(Z, Eo) can be accurately evaluated for any transition.
• There is a very strong dependence of f(Z,E0) on the energy (E5)
• β-decay results are usually expressed as the product of f(Z, Eo) with the
half-life – we call the ft1/2 value the comparative half-life.
• The ft1/2 value can range from ~103 to 1020 seconds – we usually use
log10 ft1/2 values. Half-life is ALWAYS in seconds.

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Example: 210Bi

Taken from nndc (nuclear data decay radiation information)

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Fermi integral (or energy-dependent statistical rate fn)

positive values of Z (β- decays)

negative values of Z (β+ decays)

T0 = Q value, if parent and daughter are in their ground state 6

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Remember: check the change of

parity – here there is no change,
so allowed Gamow-Teller

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Lilley: selection rules for beta decay

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Extra material to help!

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Lilley: log10 ft1/2 estimates

• Large number of β decays measured

with known spins and parities

• Spread in values for allowed and first

forbidden transitions

• Superallowed transitions are a special

set of transitions; strong overlap
between initial and final state wave
functions, e.g., mirror transitions
(n→p, t→3He, 17F→17O)

• Value in predictive ability – determine

``unknown´´ spins by identifying the
type of transition.

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Experimental log ft values

Krane
• Compilations of nuclear data give
log ft values directly.

• Each degree of forbiddenness increases

the log ft value by about 3.5, representing
a reduction in transition probability by
about 3×10-4

• This is the cause of the huge variation in

beta decay half-lives: difficult to create a
β particle and a neutrino in a state with l>0

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N=Z=50

CB Hinke et al. Nature 486, 341-345 (2012) doi:10.1038/nature11116

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Example: 14O → 14N

0+ 70 secs

14O
99.3%
log ft = 3.4

0+ 0.6 %
0+ 5,700 years log ft = 7.3

14C
log ft = 9.0 1+
14N

12C +: (ν p1/2)2 (ν p1/2) (π p1/2) (π p1/2)2

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Parity violation in β decay

5+ Nuclei cooled and

Magnetic field polarised in B-field
β-
4+
60Co
β- β- β-
2+

0+
60Ni

• Low temp required so thermal

motion does not destroy the
alignment β- β- β- β- β-
• Reversing B field direction reversed Forwards-backwards asymmetry
spins, in effect accomplishing reflection violates parity conservation
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KATRIN – Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino Experiment

• Aims to measure the mass of 𝜈𝑒 to
sub-eV precision by examining electrons
from the β decay of tritium

End point only ~18.6keV

• Important for cosmology (can hot

dark matter be explained as neutrinos?)

• Neutrino oscillation gives only a weak

lower bound

• Neutrinoless double beta decay is another

possible method to determine the mass

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KATRIN – travels 9000 km (too big for motorways!)

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NEWS
17 SEPTEMBER 2019

Physicists close in on elusive neutrino’s mass

Experiment produces best laboratory estimate yet of super-light particle’s maximum
mass.

The first results from the

Karlsruhe Tritium
Neutrino (KATRIN)
experiment in
southwestern Germany
reveal that neutrinos
weigh at most 1.1
electronvolts (eV). This
measurement is a two-fold
improvement over
previous upper-bound
measurements of 2 eV.

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