New shell-model calculations of the $δ_C$ correction to superallowed $0^+\rightarrow0^+$ nuclear $β$ decay and standard-model implications

Abstract

Refined calculations of the radial mismatch correction, $δ_{C2}$, to superallowed $0^+\rightarrow0^+$ nuclear $β$ decay are performed using the shell model with realistic Woods-Saxon radial wave functions. Two important improvements are introduced: i) charge radii used to constrain the length parameter are evaluated within a generalized formula, where proton occupation numbers are substituted by sums of spectroscopic factors, while radial wave functions are required to match separation energies with respect to the intermediate $(A-1)$-nucleon states by adjusting parameters such as the potential depth; ii) configuration mixing wave functions and energies for many-particle states are obtained through the diagonalization of well-established effective interactions in large configuration spaces without truncation. Furthermore, a variation of $\pm0.1$\,fm in the surface diffuseness parameter is now incorporated as a source of uncertainty. The present results are generally in fairly good agreement with those from previous studies. As an exception, the $δ_{C2}$ value obtained for $^{18}$Ne is smaller by approximately a factor of two, principally due to the updated charge-radius treatment. A reduction is also observed in most cases with $A\ge38$, through the deviations generally remain within the newly assigned error bars. The smaller isospin-mixing counterpart, $δ_{C1}$, is strongly interaction-dependent, roughly following an inverse-square law with respect to the energy separation between the lowest admixed levels. Therefore, an additional procedure to ensure isobaric displacements within the isospin multiplets appears to be indispensable. Our results for $δ_{C2}$ lead to a new averaged $\overline{\mathcal{F}t}$ value of $3073.11(99)_{stat}(36)_{δ_R'}(173)_{δ_{NS}}$~s with $χ^2/ν=0.624$. The corresponding $|V_{ud}|$ value is 0.97359(33).