Progress towards WISArD: Beam line simulations and detector studies for the Weak Interaction Studies with 32Ar Decay (WISArD) experiment

The standard model combines three out of four fundamental forces and is a well-established and tested theory. Nevertheless, some phenomena, e.g. the existence of dark matter, are not predicted by the theory and therefore leave room for new physics beyond the standard model. To probe the limits of the standard model the electroweak theory offers a variety of parameters for improving current measurement precisions. The weak interaction can not only be studied at high energies like at the LHC but also at rather low energies, for example nuclear beta decay. Many experiments are searching for right-handed vector axial currents, exotic scalar and tensor currents, time reversal violating components, and tests the unitary of the CKM matrix. The Weak Interaction Studies with 32Ar Decay (WISArD) experiment aims to measure the Doppler shifted energy spectrum of beta-delayed protons from the super-allowed 32Ar decay at ISOLDE/CERN to determine a possible deviation of the angular correlation parameter from its predicted value in the standard model. This Summer Student 2018 project report describes the work conducted within 13 weeks in the summer of 2018 at CERN. In this time extensive ion optics simulations were performed and silicon detectors were characterized.