First direct ⁷Be electron capture Q-value measurement towards high-precision BSM neutrino physics searches

2023/08/25 by Ramesh Bhandari, G. Bollen, Bhandari, R. +27
Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #Atomic and Subatomic Physics Research #FOS: Physical sciences #Neutrino Physics Research #Nuclear Experiment (nucl-ex) #Particle accelerators and beam dynamics

paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2308.13379

openalex publication_date 2023/08/25 · openalex created_date 2023/08/29 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28

Abstract

We report the first direct measurement of the nuclear electron capture (EC) decay Q-value of ⁷Be → ⁷Li via high-precision Penning trap mass spectrometry (PTMS). This was performed using the LEBIT Penning trap located at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory/Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (NSCL/FRIB) using the newly commissioned Batch-Mode Ion-Source (BMIS) to deliver the unstable ⁷Be⁺ samples. With a measured value of Q_EC = 861.963(23) keV this result is also three times more precise than any previous determination of this quantity. This improved precision, and accuracy of the ⁷Be EC decay Q-value is critical for ongoing experiments that measure the recoiling nucleus in this system as a signature to search for beyond Standard Model (BSM) neutrino physics using ⁷Be-doped superconducting sensors.

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