EPJ Web of Conferences (Mar 2014)

High-Precision Half-life Measurements for the Superallowed β+ Emitter 14O

  • Laffoley A. T.,
  • Svensson C. E.,
  • Andreoiu C.,
  • Austin R. A. E.,
  • Ball G. C.,
  • Blank B.,
  • Bouzomita H.,
  • Cross D. S.,
  • Diaz Varela A.,
  • Dunlop R.,
  • Finlay P.,
  • Garnsworthy A. B.,
  • Garrett P. E.,
  • Giovinazzo J.,
  • Grinyer G. F.,
  • Hackman G.,
  • Hadinia B.,
  • Jamieson D. S.,
  • Ketelhut S.,
  • Leach K. G.,
  • Leslie J. R.,
  • Tardiff E. R.,
  • Thomas J. C.,
  • Unsworth C.

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/20146605012
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 66
p. 05012

Abstract

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The half-life of 14O, a superallowed Fermi β+ emitter, has been determined via simultaneous γ and β counting experiments at TRIUMF’s Isotope Separator and Accelerator facility. Following the implantation of 14O samples at the center of the 8π spectrometer, a γ counting measurement was performed by detecting the 2313 keV γ-rays emitted from the first excited state of the daughter 14N using 20 high-purity germanium (HPGe) detectors. A simultaneous β counting experiment was performed using a fast plastic scintillator positioned directly behind the implantation site. The results, T½(γ) = 70:632 ± 0:094 s and T½(β) = 70:610 ± 0:030 s, are consistent with one another and, together with eight previous measurements, establish a new average for the 14O half-life of T½ = 70:619 ± 0:011 s with a reduced χ2 of 0.99.