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Title: Dispersive evaluation of the inner radiative correction in neutron and nuclear β decay

Journal Article · · Physical Review. D.
 [1];  [2];  [3]
  1. Shanghai Jiao-Tong Univ. (China); Univ. Bonn (Germany)
  2. PRISMA Cluster of Excellence Johannes Gutenberg-Univ., Mainz (Germany); Johannes Gutenberg-Univ. Mainz (Germany)
  3. Univ. of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (United States); California Institute of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States)

We propose a novel dispersive treatment of the so-called inner radiative correction to the neutron and nuclear β decay. We show that it requires knowledge of the parity-violating structure function $$F$$$^{(0)}_{3}$$ that arises from the interference of the axial vector charged current and the isoscalar part of the electromagnetic current. By isospin symmetry, we relate this structure function to the charged current inelastic scattering of neutrinos and antineutrinos. Applying this new data-driven analysis we obtain a new, more precise evaluation for the universal radiative correction $$Δ$$$^{V,new}_{R}$$ = 0.02467(22) that supersedes the previous estimate by Marciano and Sirlin, $$Δ$$$^{V}_{R}$$ = 0.02361(38). The substantial shift in the central value of $$Δ$$$^{V}_{R}$$ reflects in a respective shift of Vud and a considerable tension in the unitarity constraint on the first row of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix which is used as one of the most stringent constraints on new physics contributions in the charged current sector. We also point out that dispersion relations offer a unifying tool for treating hadronic and nuclear corrections within the same framework. We explore the potential of the dispersion relations for addressing the nuclear structure corrections absorbed in the Ft values, a crucial ingredient alongside $$Δ$$$^{V}_{R}$$ in extracting Vud from superallowed nuclear decays. In particular, we estimate the quenching of the free neutron Born contribution in the nuclear environment, corresponding to a quasielastic single-nucleon knockout, and find a significantly stronger quenching effect as compared to currently used estimates based on the quenching of spin operators in nuclear transitions. Furthermore, this observation suggests that the currently used theoretical uncertainties of Ft values might be underestimated and require a renewed scrutiny, while emphasizing the importance of new, more precise measurements of the free neutron decay where nuclear corrections are absent.

Research Organization:
Univ. of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC)
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0011095; SP 778/4–1
OSTI ID:
1611591
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1546469
Journal Information:
Physical Review. D., Vol. 100, Issue 1; ISSN 2470-0010
Publisher:
American Physical Society (APS)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 81 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Improved constraints on sterile neutrinos in the MeV to GeV mass range journal September 2019
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Radiative Corrections to Neutron and Nuclear Beta Decays Revisited text January 2019
Global electroweak fit and vector-like leptons in light of the Cabibbo angle anomaly journal December 2020
Pion beta decay and Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa unitarity journal May 2020
A new angle on an old problem: helicity approach to neutron beta decay in the Standard Model journal November 2019
Precision analysis of pseudoscalar interactions in neutron beta decays text January 2019
A New Theory Framework for the Electroweak Radiative Corrections in $K_{l3}$ Decays text January 2019
Pion Beta Decay and CKM Unitarity preprint January 2019
Lattice QCD Determination of $g_A$ text January 2019
Corrections of order O(E^2_e/m^2_N), caused by weak magnetism and proton recoil, to the neutron lifetime and correlation coefficients of the neutron beta decay preprint January 2020