Search for the. beta. /sup -/ decay of /sup 48/Ca

Journal Article · Tue Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 1985 · Phys. Rev. C; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.32.1358· OSTI ID:5254497

Alburger, D E; Cumming, J B

Compressed pellets of /sup 48/CaCO/sub 3/ containing 3.71 g of /sup 48/Ca were counted for 206 days in a well-type HPGe detector enclosed in a large NaI(Tl) detector. The cascade ..gamma.. rays of 983.5, 1037.5, and 1312.1 keV in the ..beta../sup -/ decay of 44-h /sup 48/Sc, which would follow the ..beta../sup -/ decay of /sup 48/Ca, were searched for in the HPGe spectrum by requiring coincidences with summed ..gamma.. rays in the NaI(Tl) detector. A 1900-2560-keV window on the NaI(Tl) included all three photopeak double sums. ..gamma gamma.. coincidence efficiencies were determined with a calibrated /sup 48/Sc source produced in the /sup 48/Ca(p,n) reaction at E/sub p/ = 12 MeV. By combining the upper limits on the intensities of the three ..gamma.. rays, the half-life for /sup 48/Ca(..beta../sup -/)/sup 48/Sc was found to be T/sub 1/2/>6 x 10/sup 18/ yr (95% confidence). For the 0/sup +/..-->..5/sup +/ unique fourth-forbidden ..beta../sup -/ branch of /sup 48/Ca to the 131-keV first-excited state of /sup 48/Sc, logf/sub 0/t>24.3. Our experimental half-life limit is a factor of 300 longer than a previous result but is still two orders of magnitude shorter than a recent theoretical estimate.

• Research Organization: Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973
• OSTI ID: 5254497
• Journal Information: Phys. Rev. C; (United States), Journal Name: Phys. Rev. C; (United States) Vol. 32:4; ISSN PRVCA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
ALKALINE EARTH ISOTOPES
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
BETA DECAY
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CALCIUM 48
CALCIUM CARBONATES
CALCIUM COMPOUNDS
CALCIUM ISOTOPES
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBONATES
COINCIDENCE SPECTROMETRY
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
DECAY
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ENERGY LEVELS
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
GAMMA RADIATION
HALF-LIFE
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
IONIZING RADIATIONS
ISOTOPES
NUCLEI
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PROBABILITY
RADIATIONS
RADIOISOTOPES
SCANDIUM 48
SCANDIUM ISOTOPES
STABLE ISOTOPES