⁶He β-decay has long been studied for its high sensitivity to exotic tensor-like contributions to the weak interaction which would indicate physics beyond the Standard Model. Recent upgrades of the production and the laser trapping systems for the ⁶He experiment at CENPA have allowed to detect β-recoil ion coincidence rates of up to 4 Hz from laser trapped ⁶He. Parallel developments have also improved the stability of the setup and reduced the associated systematic effects. Early March this year, a set of about 500.000 coincidences has been collected within less than 3 days of data taking along with appropriate calibration data. This set of data represents the statistic needed to measure the β-ν angular correlation coefficient, a_βν, with a statistical uncertainty at the 1% level which will add constraints on tensor-like interactions. The analysis is now under process and will soon reveal the ability of our experiment to measure a_βν. In parallel, shake-off probabilities can be measured independently of the value of a_βν and set tight constraints on atomic calculations.

Argonne Physics Division Seminar Schedule