An update on the St. Benedict ion-trapping system

Precision measurements of beta decay decay offer a unique insight into studies of fundamental symmetries in the standard model. In particular, studies of the ft-values of superallowed beta decays are currently under way in order to better probe the up/down quark coupling strength, Vud , as a means of testing the unitarity of the CKM quark-mixing matrix. Presently, pure-Fermi, 0+ → 0+ nuclear decays provide the highest precision determination of the Vud matrix element. However, recent revisions to the radiative corrections that are used in this calculation have shifted the value of Vud such that there is now a 3σ tension with unitarity. As such, there is now a strong incentive to extract this matrix element using a different ensemble of decays, one of which is mixed-mirror beta-decays between isobar analog states. To this end the St. Benedict ion trapping system is under construction at the University of Notre Dame Nuclear Science Lab. Updates to the St. Benedict system, new plans for future measurements, and the results of sensitivity studies will be presented. This work is supported by the National Science Foundation under grant numbers PHY-1725711, 2310059, as well as the University of Notre Dame.