Optical bremsstrahlung accompanying nuclear beta decay

The production of light photons during beta decay in condensed media is investigated. The internal and external bremsstrahlung processes are considered as mechanisms for the light emission. It has been found that the total number of photons depends on the end-point of the beta spectrum and on the media characteristics. The degree of circular polarization (CP) of the bremsstrahlung light photons emitted during beta decay is analysed. It is suggested that CP of light bremsstrahlung may serve as an additional source of information about the features of the weak interaction in nuclei. (author)