Log ft values in Beta Decay

Filip G. Kondev
kondev@anl.gov

2nd Workshop for DDEP Evaluators, Bucharest, Romania

May 12-15,2008
Some useful references
Books
“Week interaction and nuclear beta decay”, H.F. Schopper, 1966

“Handbook of nuclear spectroscopy”, J. Kantele, 1995

“Radiation detection and measurements”, G.F. Knoll, 1989
“Alpha-, Beta- and Gamma-ray Spectroscopy”, Ed. K. Siegbahn, 1965

Journal Articles
W. Bambynek et al., Rev. Mod. Phys. 49 (1977) 77
N.B. Gove and M.J. Martin, Nuclear Data Tables 10 (1971) 205
S. Raman and N.B. Gove, Phys. Rev. C7 (1973) 1995
B. Singh et al., Nuclear Data Sheets 84 (1998 487

Plenty of information available on the Web

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Introduction
Beta Decay: universal term for all weak-interaction
transitions between two neighboring isobars
Takes place is 3 different forms
b-, b+ & EC (capture of an atomic electron)

b+: p  n + e+ + n

EC: p + e-  n + n ~
b-: n  p + e- + n

a nucleon inside the nucleus is transformed into another

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Classification of b decay transition
Iipi
Eb
I i I f + L b + S b p ip f  (-1)
Lb

Ifpf
L b l b -( b + ) +ln~ (n ) S b  s b -( b + ) + sn~ (n ) 10  or


Lb = n defines the degree of forbiddenness (n)

allowed forbidden

when Lb=n=0 and pipf=+1 when the angular momentum

conservation requires that
I  I i- I f  0,1
Lbn >0 and/or pipf=-1

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Classification of allowed decay
(p ip f  +1)
Fermi Gamow-Teller
0+ 0+
Eb Eb
0+ 1+

I  I i - I f  0 I  I i- I f  1
Lb  0 S b  0  L b  0 S b  1 or 

2+ mixed Fermi & Gamow-Teller

Eb
2+ I  I i - I f  0 I i 0

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Classification of b decay transitions
Type of transition Order of I pipf
forbiddenness
Allowed 0,+1 +1
1 k2 -1
Forbidden unique 2 k3 +1
3 k4 -1
4 k5 +1
. . .
1 0, k1 -1
Forbidden 2 k2 +1
3 k3 -1
4 k4 +1
. . .

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Some useful empirical rules
The fifth power beta decay rule:

the speed of a b transition increases approximately in

proportion to the fifth power of the total transition
energy (if other things are being equal, of course)

Ii
 [M ( Z ) - M ( Z  1) c 2 ]5
1
Eb
If 

 depends on spin and parity changes between the initial

and final state
 additional hindrance due to nuclear structure effects –
isospin, “l-forbidden”, “K-forbidden”, etc.

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b decay lifetime
T1exp
t  T1b/ 2i  / 2 partial half-life of a given b- (b+,EC) decay branch (i)
Pb i

ln 2 g2 W

T1/ 2 2p 3
n 1
peWe (W0 - We ) 2 F ( Z ,We )Cn dWe

g – week interaction coupling constant

pe – momentum of the b particle
We – total energy of the b particle
W0 – maximum energy of the b particle
F(Z,We) – Fermi function – distortion of the b particle wave function by the
nuclear charge
Cn – shape factor
Z – atomic number

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b decay Hindrance Factor
bi
T  g  
2 2
HFb  n   3
n 1/ 2
 f nt
T1/ 2  2p ln 2 
W
f n   peWe (W0 - We ) 2 F (Z ,We )(Cn /  2 )dWe
1

statistical rate function (phase-space factor):

the energy & nuclear structure dependences
of the decay transition

 2
contains the nuclear matrix elements

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Log ft values
log ft  log f + log t

coming from calculations coming from experiment

Decay Type I (pipf ) log f

Mode
b-
log f 0-
allowed 0, +1 (+)
EC + b+ log( f 0EC + f 0+ )
b-
1st-forb
log f 0- + log( f1- / f 0- )
k2 (-)
EC + b+ unique log[( f1EC + f1+ ) /( f 0EC + f 0+ )]

N.B. Gove and M. Martin, Nuclear Data Tables 10 (1971) 205

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Log f
 ENSDF analysis program LOGFT – both Windows & Linux distribution
http://www.nndc.bnl.gov/nndcscr/ensdf_pgm/analysis/logft/
 LOGFT Web interface at NNDC http://www.nndc.bnl.gov/logft/

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Log t
T1exp I tot (out / in )   I  i (1 +  T i )
t  T1/ 2
bi
 /2 i
Pb i T ( M 1) +  2T ( E 2)
Pbi  [ I tot (out ) - I tot (in)]  T ( M 1 + E 2) 
1+  2

 What we want to know accurately

T1/2, I, T & 

In
I tot (521 + 721)  0.086(16)
= 0.69(10)
I tot (416 + 619)  0.78(10) (net)
Out
  0.0022  t  2.056 106 [s]  log t  6.31  log f  2.386  log ft  8.7
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Rules for Spin/Parity Assignments

 There are only a few ~1000 cases

cases where unambiguous
assignment can be made
 “pandemonium effect” –
neutron rich nuclei – log ft
is a just lower limit!
 needs to know the decay
scheme and its properties
accurately!

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Log ft values – latest review

~3900 cases -> gives

centroids and widths B. Singh, J.L. Rodriguez, S.S.M. Wong & J.K. Tuli

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Implications for DDEP evaluations
T1exp log f + log T1exp
log ft  a t  T1/ 2  /2 / 2 - log Pb i  a
bi

Pb i
log f + log T1exp
/ 2 - a  log Pb i

a  log ft  9.5(8)
from systematics

log f  2.39 from calculations

/ 2  2.49
log T1exp from experiment

1.5 10-2  Pb i  3.8 10-4

Pb i (exp t )  0.012(8)

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…but be careful, nuclear structure is important
j2
First forbidden  5 < log ft <10
j1
j
T1/2 =3.8x1010 y
7-
log ft =20
K=7 8+

log ft =19
6+
large angular momentum
re-orientation
K-forbidden decay
w
4+

j=R
2+

0+
K~0
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