Phenomenological wave functions for the ground and 2.313 MeV states in sup14N.

Abstract

Transverse electron scattering form factors have been measured for elastic scattering and for the transition to the 2.313 MeV state in $^{14}\mathrm{N}$. Existing structure models could not simultaneously describe the two M1 form factors. Consequently, new phenomenological wave functions were determined by fitting the electron scattering results and other observables. For the 2.313 MeV transition, the new wave functions give smaller L=2 transition amplitudes than the earlier models. This reduction and the deduced value for the L=0 transition amplitude appear to be supported by the measurements of the $^{14}\mathrm{N}$(p,p'${)\mathrm{}}^{14}$N, $^{14}\mathrm{C}$(p,n${)}^{14}$N, and $^{14}(\ensuremath{\gamma}$,${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+}$${)\mathrm{}}^{14}$C reactions. Although the L=0 transition amplitude is found to be relatively small, it is not small enough to give quantitative agreement with the severely retarded $^{14}\mathrm{C}$ \ensuremath{\beta}-decay rate. The possibility that the vanishingly small \ensuremath{\beta}-decay matrix element is the result of destructive interference between the one-body matrix element and other terms is discussed.