Searching for Physics Beyond the Standard Model using Superallowed Beta Decay*

Tests of the Standard Model through precision measurements of nuclear decay properties have proven to be a valuable tool in experimental subatomic physics. Of these investigations, superallowed Fermi nuclear $\beta$ decay data are among the most important, as they currently provide the most precise determinations of both the vector coupling strength in the weak interaction, $G_V$, and the up-down element of the CKM quark mixing matrix, $V_{ud}$. These studies provide some of the best constraints on the possibility of additional quark generations, as well as limits on exotic currents in the weak interaction. In this talk, I will highlight the tremendous experimental and theoretical progress that has been made in this field - particularly the past 15 years - and provide a picture of where it is headed in the near future.