Precise half-life measurement of the superallowed {beta}{sup +} emitter {sup 26}Si

We measured the half-life of the superallowed 0{sup +{yields}}0{sup +} {beta}{sup +} emitter {sup 26}Si to be 2245.3(7) ms. We used pure sources of {sup 26}Si and employed a high-efficiency gas counter, which was sensitive to positrons from both this nuclide and its daughter {sup 26}Al{sup m}. The data were analyzed as a linked parent-daughter decay. To contribute meaningfully to any test of the unitarity of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) matrix, the ft value of a superallowed transition must be determined to a precision of 0.1% or better. With a precision of 0.03%, the present result is more than sufficient to be compatible with that requirement. Only the branching ratio now remains to be measured precisely before a {+-}0.1% ft value can be obtained for the superallowed transition from {sup 26}Si.