We give a perturbative calculation of the effects of final state electronic interactions on the transition rates in allowed beta decay. The results include a simple relativistic expression for the electron screening correction to the total decay rate for low-Z nuclei which corrects a recent calculation by Drukarev and Strikman, and expressions for the corrections to the decay spectra for transitions to particular final atomic states. We discuss briefly applications to superallowed Fermi transitions and the beta decay of tritium.

• Received 16 October 1987

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.37.535