Related papers: Precision Measurements and CKM Unitarity
In the framework of the Standard Model (SM) a theoretical description of the neutron beta decay is given at the level of 10^{-5}. The neutron lifetime and correlation coefficients of the neutron beta decay for a polarized neutron, a…
We update the determination of |V_us| using semielectronic and semimuonic decays of K mesons. A modest improvement of 15% with respect to its present value is obtained for the error bar of this matrix element when we combine the four…
Fundamental neutron physics, combining precision measurements and theory, probes particle physics at short range with reach well beyond the highest energies probed by the LHC. Significant US efforts are underway that will probe BSM CP…
Estimates of nuclear matrix elements for neutrinoless double beta decay (0nu2beta) based on the quasiparticle random phase approximations (QRPA) are affected by theoretical uncertainties, which can be substantially reduced by fixing the…
The standard model predicts that, in addition to a proton, an electron, and an antineutrino, a continuous spectrum of photons is emitted in the $\beta$ decay of the free neutron. We report on the RDK II experiment which measured the photon…
The nucleon decay is a significant phenomenon to verify grand unified theories (GUTs). For the precise prediction of the nucleon lifetime induced by the gauge bosons associated with the unified gauge group, it is important to include the…
It has been recently shown that puzzling excess events observed by the LSND and MiniBooNE neutrino experiments could be interpreted as a signal from the radiative decay of a heavy sterile neutrino ($\nu_h$) of the mass from 40 to 80 MeV,…
The next-generation water Cherenkov Hyper-Kamiokande detector will be able to detect thousands of neutrino events from a galactic Supernova explosion via Inverse Beta Decay processes followed by neutron capture on Gadolinium. This superb…
We discuss the recent progress in the study of semileptonic kaon and pion decays, including new experimental results, improved electroweak radiative corrections, form factor calculations and isospin-breaking effects. As a result, we obtain…
For many decades, the main source of information on the top-left corner element of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa quark mixing matrix $V_{ud}$ were superallowed nuclear beta decays with an impressive 0.01\% precision. This precision, apart…
Present precision measurements of the neutron life time lead to a CKM matrix element $|V_{ud}|$ which is three standard deviations off the value inferred from heavy quark decays etc. We investigate the possibility whether isospin-breaking…
We review the radiative corrections to the $\tau \to P (P) \nu_\tau [\gamma]$ decays and their implications for several SM tests: lepton universality, CKM unitarity and non-standard interactions.
Important progress made this year, both in theory and in experiment, helped solving the problem of 2 sigma-deviation from the unitarity of the first row elements in the CKM matrix. Today we have, |Vus|^2 + |Vud|^2 + |Vub|^2-1 = -0.0008(13),…
We investigate a simple realistic grand unified theory based on the $SU(5)$ gauge symmetry which predicts an upper bound on the proton decay lifetime for the channels $p \to K^+ \bar{\nu}$ and $p \to \pi^+ \bar{\nu}$, i.e. $\tau (p \to K^+…
We calculated the median as well as weighted mean central estimates for the neutron lifetime, from a subset of measurements compiled in the 2019 update of the Particle Data Group (PDG). We then reconstruct the error distributions for the…
Superallowed $0^+\rightarrow 0^+$ transitions between $T=1$ nuclei have been a perfect avenue avenue for determining the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix element $V_{ud}$, which imposes powerful constraints on physics beyond the Standard…
We analyze the prospective impact of supersymmetric radiative corrections on tests of charged current universality involving light quarks and leptons. Working within the R-parity conserving Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model, we compute…
Prompted by the level of accuracy now being achieved in tests of the unitarity of the CKM matrix, we consider the possible modification of the Fermi matrix element for the $\beta$-decay of a neutron, including possible in-medium and isospin…
All existing "positive" results on two neutrino double beta decay in different nuclei were analyzed. Using the procedure recommended by the Particle Data Group, weighted average values for half-lives of $^{48}$Ca, $^{76}$Ge, $^{82}$Se,…
A new technique was developed to measure the lifetimes of neutron unbound nuclei in the picosecond range. The decay of 26O -> 24O+n+n was examined as it had been predicted to have an appreciable lifetime due to the unique structure of the…