Nuclear Seminar - Rastislav Dvornický (4.10.2017)
Wednesday 4.10.2017 at 14:00, Lecture room F1/364
Mgr. Rastislav Dvornicky, PhD.:
Neutrino mass and forbidden beta decays
Abstract:
The most sensitive direct neutrino mass search is provided by a precise measurement of the electron energy spectrum in single beta decays close to the endpoint. Recent experiment KATRIN uses the super-allowed beta decay of tritium. A possibility to use the unique forbidden beta decays for the determination of the absolute mass of neutrinos is addressed. For selected nuclei we present the theoretical electron energy spectra for these forbidden beta transitions. Our calculations are based on the exact Dirac wave functions of the electrons with effects of finite nuclear size and the electron screening taken into account. The goal is to define the Kurie functions for these forbidden beta decays in such a way that they are linear near the endpoint in the limit of massless neutrinos like the Kurie function of the super-allowed beta decay of tritium.