The Very Long Lifetime of 14C in the Shell Model

Abstract

This is a fitting memory for our late friend and colleague Aldo Covello. For many years, he was our host in the series of Spring Seminars which he organized. In these conferences, the shell model was a central subject which was taken very seriously. This paper is written after 70 years of successful shell model calculations of nuclear energies and also various transitions. The beta decay of 14C has been an enigma. The history and present situation are described. The importance check of any theory to yield the strength of the mirror transition of 14O is pointed out.