Conserved Current Hypothesis and the Beta Decay of RaE

Abstract

It is shown that the conserved current theory of Feynman and Gell-Mann is consistent with knowledge of RaE beta decay. This assertion is made by extending the Siegert theorem to beta decay and comparing the theoretical prediction for $〈\ensuremath{\alpha}〉$ with the experimental data, which are obtained from recent electron polarization and spectrum measurements. The Coulomb terms are evaluated using the Ahrens-Feenberg approximation. The conserved and nonconserved (conventional) theories are differentiated by the presence or absence of the exchange contributions. These are also evaluated by the Ahrens-Feenberg approximation. This re-analysis leads to an even larger disagreement between the shell-model prediction and the phenomenological nuclear matrix elements, $\frac{〈|\ensuremath{\sigma}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}\stackrel{^}{r}|〉}{i〈\stackrel{^}{r}〉}$. The origin of the disagreement is discussed. Several possible effects of the meson-cloud beta decay in a nucleus are also surveyed in the course of study.