TAMUTRAP facility: Penning trap facility for weak interaction studies

In the low-energy regime, precision measurements in nuclear β −decay continue to be a sensitive tool to search for new physics beyond the standard model (SM). The primary goal of the Texas A&M University Penning trap facility (TAMUTRAP) is to improve the limits on non-SM processes in the weak interaction. In particular, scalar currents, by measuring the β − ν angular correlation parameter (a_βν), for T = 2, super-allowed β −delayed proton emitters. The precise measurement of energy Doppler shift of the proton following β⁺ −decay is sensitive to β − ν angular correlation coefficient, which is unity (a_βν= 1) for pure Fermi transition in the absence of scalar currents. The experiments will be performed in a unique large bore cylindrical Penning trap with an inner radius of 90 mm, which is larger than any existing Penning trap across the world. The TAMUTRAP facility has been commissioned off-line and has demonstrated the ability to perform high precision mass measurements. We describe here the facility overview and summarize the current status towards the first measurement of β − ν angular correlation for T = 2, beta delayed proton emitters using a large bore cylindrical Penning trap with closed end caps.