Dustin Combs | Searcharxiv

arXiv2022

Precision pulse shape simulation for proton detection at the Nab experiment

The Nab experiment at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA, aims to measure the beta-antineutrino angular correlation following neutron $\beta$ decay to an anticipated precision of approximately 0.1\%. The proton momentum is reconstructed through proton time-of-flight measurements, and potential systematic biases in the timing reconstruction due to detector effects must be controlled at the nanosecond level. We present a thorough and detailed semiconductor and quasiparticle transport simulation effort to provide precise pulse shapes, and report on relevant systematic effects and potential measurement schemes.

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arXiv2020

A look into mirrors: A measurement of the $\beta$-asymmetry in $^{19}$Ne decay and searches for new physics

High precision measurements of isospin $T=1/2$ decays in the neutron and nuclei provide strong model-independent constraints on extensions to the standard model of particle physics. A measurement of the $\beta$-asymmetry in $^{19}$Ne decay between the initial nuclear spin and the direction of the emitted positron is presented which establishes this decay as the most precisely characterized nuclear mirror and fixes the Fermi-to-Gamow-Teller mixing ratio to $\rho = 1.6014(+21/-28)_{sys}(8)_{stat}$. This is consistent with the previous, most precise measurement, produces a value of the CKM unitarity parameter $V_{ud}$ in agreement with the nuclear mirror, neutron and superallowed $\beta$-decay data sets, shows no evidence for second class currents, and can be effectively used with neutron decay data to place a limits on exotic tensor couplings.

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