New Possibilities for Measuring the Ratio of the Axial and Vector Weak Interaction Constants

Abstract

An experiment is being developed to determine the value of λ, the ratio of the axial weak interaction constant GA to the vector constant GV, by simultaneously measuring the electron (A) and neutrino (B) asymmetries of β-decay on the same setup. The λ measurement is based on the ratio: λ = (A – B)/(A + B). Simultaneous measurements of A and B on the same setup are suggested to be carried out using ultracold neutrons stored in the magnetic field of a superconducting solenoid. The proposed method for determining λ, firstly, makes it possible to neglect the contribution of the Firtz interference term, and, secondly, eliminates the need for accurate measurement of the neutron polarization. The presented method allows us to measure the λ value with a precision of 10–4.