Symmetry violations in nuclear and neutron β decay

Abstract

The role of β decay as a low-energy probe of physics beyond the standard model is reviewed. Traditional searches for deviations from the standard model structure of the weak interaction in β decay are discussed in light of constraints from the Large Hadron Collider and the neutrino mass. Limits on the violation of time-reversal symmetry in β decay are compared to the strong constraints from electric dipole moments. Novel searches for Lorentz symmetry breaking in the weak interaction in β decay are also included, where the unique sensitivity of β decay to test Lorentz invariance is discussed. In the conclusion a possible road map for future β-decay experiments is presented.