New limit on fundamental weak-interaction parameters from superallowed beta decay

Abstract

A new critical survey of all world data on superallowed beta decays provides demanding tests of, and tight constraints on, the weak interaction. In confirmation of the conserved vector current (CVC) hypothesis, the vector coupling coupling constant is demonstrated to be constant to better than 3 parts in 10^4, and any induced scalar current is limited to fs \leq 0.0013 in electron rest-mass units. The possible existence of a fundamental scalar current is similarly limited to |Cs/Cv| \leq 0.0013. The superallowed data also determine the CKM matrix element to be Vud = 0.9738(4). With PDG values for Vus and Vub, the top-row test of CKM unitarity yields Vud^2 + Vus^2 + Vub^2 = 0.9966(14); although, if a recent result on Ke3 decay is used exclusively to obtain Vus, this sum becomes 0.9999(16). Limits on possible right-hand currents are given.