A new technique for precise measurement of the half-life of the Fermi -decay of Al

Two recent publications presenting very different approaches to applying the isospin symmetry-breaking and radiative corrections to the transition rates for superallowed β -decays between 0 + states have highlighted the need for precise measurements of the transition rates of these decays, especially for low- Z nuclei. A new measurement of the half-life of the Fermi β -decay of 26 m Al has been made by counting annihilation γ -rays from its decay following the reaction 27 Al( γ ,n). The measured half-life is 6.345 ± 0.014 s.