Constraints on new physics from nuclear beta transitions

Tuesday, 05 December 2023 at 11:15

Low energy precision measurements are playing an ever increasing role in the search for new physics. In this talk I will review the place of nuclear beta transitions in this program. Thanks to the improving accuracy of experiment, theory, and lattice calculations, the precision level of beta transitions is reaching the 10^-4 level in some cases. I will start with a brief historical review of beta decays, introducing the most important concepts and observables. Then I will discuss the connection between the EFT of beta decays and the quark-level EFTs below and above the electroweak scale. This matching allows one to establish the sensitivity of beta decays to new particles beyond the SM. I will compare that to the sensitivity achievable in other experiments, in particular at the LHC.