High-precision half-life measurements for the superallowed Fermi β⁺ emitters ¹⁴O and ¹⁸Ne

High-precision half-life measurements, at the level of ±0.04%, for the superallowed Fermi emitters ¹⁴O and ¹⁸Ne have been performed at TRIUMF's Isotope Separator and Accelerator facility. Using 3 independent detector systems, a gas-proportional counter, a fast plastic scintillator, and a high-purity germanium array, a series of direct β and γ counting measurements were performed for each of the isotopes. In the case of ¹⁴O, these measurements were made to help resolve an existing discrepancy between detection methods, whereas for ¹⁸Ne the half-life precision has been improved in anticipation of forthcoming high-precision branching ratio measurements. (author)