The $T_{z} = \pm 1 \to 0$ and $\pm 2 \to \pm 1$ Mirror Gamow--Teller Transitions in $pf$-shell Nuclei

Abstract

Gamow–Teller (GT) transitions are the most common weak-interaction processes in the Universe. They play important roles in various processes of nucleosynthesis, for example, in the rapid proton-capture process (rp-process). In the pf-shell region, the rp-process runs through neutron-deficient nuclei with Tz = −2, −1, and 0 mainly by means of GT and Fermi transitions, where Tz is the z component of isospin T defined by Tz = (N − Z)∕2. Under the assumption of isospin symmetry, mirror nuclei with reversed Z and N numbers, and thus with opposite signs of Tz, have the same structure. Therefore, symmetry is also expected for the GT transitions starting from and ending up in mirror nuclei. We have been studying the Tz = −2 →−1 and −1 → 0 GT transitions in β decays, while those from stable Tz = +2 and +1 nuclei by means of hadronic (3He,t) charge-exchange (CE) reactions. The results from these studies are compared in order to examine the mirror-symmetry structure in nuclei. In addition, these results are combined for the better understanding of GT transitions in the pf-shell region.