Unraveling Particle Physics: Nuclear Charge Distribution Measurements Hold the Key
Scientists have used the BEam COoler and LAser spectroscopy (BECOLA) facility at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) to measure nuclear charge distributions, providing insights into the "nuclear weak distribution." By relating the weak distribution to the distribution of electric charges in a nucleus, researchers found significant differences from previous model-based determinations. This finding helps explain a discrepancy between predictions from particle physics theory and experimental measurements of the fundamental quantity "Vud." Further measurements of nuclear charge distributions may provide additional insights into resolving this anomaly.