Precision \textit{$\beta $}-decay studies in a RFQ ion trap

A linear RFQ ion trap has been constructed and brought online at Argonne for precise measurements of \textit{$\beta $}-decay angular correlations to test the $V-A$ description of the weak interaction. The open geometry of the trap allows four sets of charged particle and $\gamma $-ray detectors to be brought close to the trapped radioactive ions. The first experiment will be a measurement of the \textit{$\beta -\nu $} correlation coefficient in $^{14}$O. The recoil nucleus momentum can be inferred from the Doppler shift of the $\gamma $-rays emitted from the first excited state of $^{14}$N. Recent progress towards a measurement of the \textit{$\beta -\nu $} correlation will be discussed. This work was supported in part by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Physics, under Contract No. W-31-109-ENG-38.