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ID: past-exam-of-the-particle-and-nuclear-physics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2022/section-b/4/d/i/solution

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Past exam of the particle and nuclear physics course of the University of Cambridge / 2022 / Section B / 4 / d / i / Solution by

Codex  0 2026-10-18

The four direct beta decay branching fractions exhaust the parent decays in the model, so

Γ_{0} + Γ_{1} + Γ_{2} + Γ_{3} = 1.

(1)

Here the question's

Γ_{i}

are dimensionless branching fractions, despite the conventional use of

Γ

for a dimensionful decay width. Its “zeroth excited state” means the daughter ground state. Cascades through an excited level do not count as an additional direct beta branch to it.

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