Atomic masses of147m, 148m, 149m Tb,148Dy,150m, 152m Ho derived from decay properties

Using nuclear fusion reactions of⁴⁰Ar ions with¹¹²Cd,¹¹⁴Sn and¹¹⁶Sn and subsequentγ-ray spectroscopy, the probability ratios of positron emission and electron capture,β ⁺/EC _k andβ ⁺/(EC+β ⁺), are determined for individualβ-transitions in the decay of^147m ,^148m ,^149m Tb,¹⁴⁸Dy and^150m ,^152m Ho. From comparison with theoretical ratios the followingQ _EC values, given in keV, are derived:^147m Tb, 4.620(60);^148m Tb, 5.730(30);^149m Tb, 3.610(50);¹⁴⁸Dy, 2.680(30);^150m Ho, 6.625(120) and^152m Ho, 6.470(80). The present decay-energy data are compared with earlier measurements and the new information obtained for the mass surface around¹⁴⁶Gd is discussed.     

Precise atomic masses of147Eu,147Gd,and151Tb derived from their decay properties

Theβ-decay energies of¹⁴⁷Eu,¹⁴⁷Gd, and¹⁵¹Tb were determined by usingγ-spectroscopical methods. The comparison of experimental with calculatedK-capture probabilities yielded theQ _EC values 1.690( _?16 ⁺²¹ )MeV and 2.203( _?13 ⁺¹⁹ )MeV for¹⁴⁷Eu and¹⁴⁷Gd, respectively. By measuring the ratio of positron decay to electron capture for two branches in¹⁴⁷Eu decay, the decay energiesQ _EC=1.702(13) MeV andQ _EC=1.709(18)MeV were derived. Also fromEC/β ⁺ ratios the valuesQ _EC=2.225(75) MeV for¹⁴⁷Gd, andQ _EC=2.566(12)MeV for¹⁵¹Tb were obtained. Earlier discrepancies in the mass adjustment of these isotopes were removed. In course of the present studiesγ-decay properties of¹⁴⁷Eu and¹⁴⁷Gd were reinvestigated.     

Particle plus octupoleM2/E3 isomers and high-spin particle-hole states in147Tb and148Tb

The level structures of theN=82 andN=83 nuclei¹⁴⁷Tb and¹⁴⁸Tb have been studied by means of (α, 8n) and (α,7n) reactions induced by 68 to 110 MeVα particle bombardments of¹⁵¹Eu targets. In-beam conversion electron measurements have established that isomers withT _1/2=4.8(6)ns in¹⁴⁷Tb andT _1/2=22(1)ns in¹⁴⁸Tb decay byM2+E3 transitions to the ground states. The measuredB(E3) values show that the isomeric states arise from the coupling of the valence nucleon(s) to the¹⁴⁶Gd core octupole. Particlephonon coupling in these nuclei and in the one-neutron nucleus¹⁴⁷Gd is discussed and compared with well known cases involving the²⁰⁸Pb core. The higher lying yrast states in the two Tb nuclei are described as shell-model particle-hole excitations using empirical single particle energies and nucleon-nucleon interactions.     

Decays of millisecond isomers in odd-oddN=81 nuclei146Tb,148Ho and150Tm

Following reactions induced by 245 MeV⁶⁰Ni ions, isomers have been identified in the odd-oddN=81 isotones¹⁴⁶Tb,¹⁴⁸Ho and¹⁵⁰Tm with half-lives of 1.18(2), 2.35(4) and 5.2(3) ms, respectively. Their decays have been characterized byγ-ray spectroscopy. The isomers are interpreted as (πh _11/2 νh ₁ ^2/?1 ) 10⁺ states decaying to members ofπh _11/2 νd ₃ ^2/?1 andπh ₁₁ ^2/?1 multiplets. The observed level spectra and M1 branching ratios are found to be in good agreement with shell model predictions based on empirical and Schiffer-Trueπν ^?1 residual interactions.     

A new method to test virtual photon spectra

Millisecond isomers in¹⁴⁶Tb,¹⁴⁸Ho and¹⁵⁰Tm, observed in⁶⁰Ni reactions on³⁹Y,⁹⁰Zr, and⁹²Mo targets, are interpreted as (πh_11/2 vh_11/2 ^?1) 10⁺ isomers predicted by the shell model. Their decays are characterized.     

The magnetic hyperfine field at Cd nuclei in the rare earth ferromagnets Gd,Tb, Dy,Ho, Er and Tm

The time differential perturbed angular correlation technique has been used to study the combined magnetic and electric hyperfine interactions at the site of a¹¹¹Cd impurity in the rare earth ferromagnets Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, and Tm at 4.2 °K. The following magnetic hyperfine fields at the site of¹¹¹Cd have been found: ¦H _hf ¦=340(7) kG in Gd, 275 (5) kG in Tb, 221 (4) kG in Dy, 116 (3) kG in Er and 60 (6) kG in Tm. In Ho two magnetically different sites were observed with magnetic fields of 159 (3) and 139 (3) kG. Both sites are equally populated. The coupling constantJ _5f of the conduction electron-4f interaction has been calculated for the different rare earth metals from the measured hyperfine fields by means of the RKKY theory.     

Occupancy of single-proton orbitals in148Gd

The (³He,d) and (t, α) reactions on a radioactive Z=64¹⁴⁸Gd target were used to populate the single-proton states in¹⁴⁹Tb and¹⁴⁷Eu. In¹⁴⁹Tb the data establish the five single-proton states of the 51 to 82 major shell. The proton occupancies deduced from these experiments suggest that in the¹⁴⁸Gd ground state there are on average 1.8(3) proton pairs above the Z=64 shell gap.     

In-beamγ-ray spectroscopy of the odd-odd nucleus144Tb

The level scheme of theN=79 nucleus¹⁴⁴Tb was investigated via in beamγ-ray spectroscopy using the¹¹²Sn (³⁵Cl,n2p),¹¹⁶Sn(³²S, 3np) and⁸⁹Y(⁵⁸Ni, 2np) reactions. States up toI～20 andE _x～5 MeV were established above the 6^? β ⁺ decaying isomer. Two new isomers with half-life of 0.67(6) µs and 2.8(3) µs were identified. The level scheme of¹⁴⁴Tb is interpreted in the framework of the spherical shell model with a few valence nucleons outside the¹⁴⁶Gd core.     

Magnetic properties of R2Pt compounds with R = Gd,Tb, Dy,Ho, Er and Tm

Magnetic properties of polycrystalline samples of R₂Pt compounds (R = Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er and Tm) are presented. The Gd, Td, Dy, Ho based compounds are ferromagnetic with Curie temperatures ranging between 155 and 17 K. Er₂Pt and Tm₂Pt are antiferromagnetic with Néel temperatures of 9 and 5 K respectively. The observed properties are discussed considering indirect exchange interactions and crystal field effects acting on the rare earth ions which lies in very low symmetry sites.     

High spin states in148Tb

The level scheme of¹⁴⁸Tb has been extended to an excitation energyE _x =14.0 MeV and a spinI≈ 38? in two experiments with the OSIRIS Comptom suppressed detector array at the HMI Berlin using the reactions¹²²Sn(³¹P,5n)¹⁴⁸Tb at 160 MeV and¹²⁰Sn(³¹P,3n)¹⁴⁸Tb at 152 MeV.     

β +-endpoint measurements near100Sn and146Gd

With a summation-free ⁺-endpoint spectrometer the ⁺-decay energies of¹⁰⁴Sn,¹⁴⁷Tb,^{148, 149}Dy,¹⁴⁹Ho,¹⁵⁰Er, and¹⁵¹Tm were remeasured with improved accuracy. Combined with known proton and alpha decay energies, the resulting Q_EC values lead to atomic masses of very neutron-deficient isotopes including nuclei beyond the proton drip-line such as¹⁰⁹I and¹¹³Cs. Furthermore, the Gamow-Teller-strength of the even-even nuclei¹⁰⁴Sn,¹⁴⁸Dy, and¹⁵⁰Er is reevaluated with reduced uncertainty.Dedicated to Prof. Dr. P. Kienle on the occasion of his 60th birthday     

Beta-delayed gammas and QEC-values in the decays of150m,152mHo and149Dy

^{150m, 152m}Ho, and¹⁴⁹Dy were produced by fusion-evaporation reactions of⁴⁰Ar with targets of natural indium and¹¹⁴Cd. Theβ-decays of the isotopes were reinvestigated with emphasis on high-excitation daughter states. The decay energies for selectedβ-transitions were measured from electron-capture to positron-decay ratios. Corrections forγ-feeding from higher-lying states were taken into account. The following Q_EC-values were derived for^150mHo,^152mHo, and^149mDy of 6819 ( _?100 ⁺¹¹⁷ , 6263 ( _?80 ⁺⁸⁹ ), and 3914 ( _?52 ⁺⁷⁶ ) keV, respectively.     

Magnetic and structural studies of the alloy system REIn0.5Ag0.5

The structural and magnetic properties of the alloy system REIn_0.5Ag_0.5 [RE = Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm and Yb] are reported. All these alloys (except that of Yb) crystallize in a cubic CsCl type structure at room temperature. Low temperature X-ray diffraction data does not reveal any structural phase transformation down to 8 K. On the basis of magnetic susceptibility data at a different temperature (3–300 K) and applied magnetic field (2 × 10⁵ to 8 × 10⁶ A m^-1, it has been concluded that GdIn_0.5Ag_0.5 is ferromagnetic (T_c = 118 K), TbIn_0.5Ag_0.5 and DyIn_0.5Ag_0.5 are meta magnetic (T_N = 66 and 30 K, respectively) and alloys involving Ho, Er, Tm and Yb are ferrimagnetic with Néel temperatures (T_N) equal to 24, 22, 21 and 20 K, respectively. The evaluated effective magneton number (p) is found to be slightly larger compared to theoretical values for tripositive ions of Gd, Tb and Dy and a bit smaller for Ho, Er, Tm and Yb. The results have been qualitatively explained using appropriate theories.     

Negative-parity bands in the 88-neutron nuclei153Tb and155Ho

Bands of negative-parity levels have been observed in in-beam studies of¹⁵³Tb and¹⁵⁵Ho. The data are qualitatively accounted for in the rotation-alignment model as decoupled bands based on the h_11/2 proton orbital. Nuclear Reactions:¹⁵³Eu(α, 4nγ)¹⁵³Tb,E=45–55 MeV;¹⁵⁰Sm(¹⁰B, 5nγ)¹⁵⁵Ho,E=60–70 MeV; measuredE _γ,I _γ (0), γ ? γ coinc.,E _e, I _e ^K ,¹⁵³Tb and¹⁵⁵Ho deduced levels,J, π. Ge(Li) and Si(Li) detectors. Enriched targets.     

Seniority isomerism in theN]=82 isotone152Yb; Favouredβ transitionsπh 11/2→vh 9/2

The reaction⁵⁸Ni→⁹⁶Ru has been investigated withγ spectroscopic methods and pulsed-beam techniques. A level scheme of the magic nucleus¹⁵²Yb has been established. The half-life of the isomeric 10⁺ state was found to be 39±5 μs. The result is discussed in the frame-work of the seniority scheme. Theory and experiment show excellent agreement for the half-lives of the 10⁺ states in theN=82 isotones¹⁴⁸Dy,¹⁵⁰Er and [¹⁵²Yb. A level scheme of¹⁵¹Tm, consisting of ten excited states, has been established.β-decay schemes of [¹⁵²Yb (3.2±0.3 s),¹⁵²Tm^(m) (8.0±1.0 s) and¹⁵¹Tm (3.8±0.8 s) have been derived. The logft value of theβ transition¹⁵²Yb (0⁰)→¹⁵²Tm (1⁺) has been determined to be about 3.4. It was found that theft values of the favouredβ transitions 0⁺→1⁺ in theβ decays of [¹⁴⁸Dy,¹⁵⁰Er and¹⁵²Yb are almost inversely proportional to the numbers of protons out of theh _11/2 subshell.     

High spin states in147Tb

The level scheme of¹⁴⁷Tb has been extended to 116 levels and 198 transitions in two experiments with the OSIRIS Compton suppressed detector array at the HMI Berlin with the reactions¹²²Sn(³¹P, 6n)¹⁴⁷Tb at 160 MeV and¹²⁰Sn(³¹P, 4n)¹⁴⁷Tb at 152 MeV. Evidence for a new high spin isomer atE=7664.1 keV with a life-time of the order of 2 ns has been found.     

Low-spin states of153Gd observed in the decay of153Tb

Level structure of the 89-neutron nucleus¹⁵³Gd has been investigated by studying theEC-decay of isotope-separated¹⁵³Tb sources with several semiconductor detectors. In addition to singles gamma and electron spectra,γ-γ ande ^?-γ coincidences were investigated by using Ge(Li) and Si(Li) spectrometers and a high-capacity two-parameter recording system. In all, 191γ-rays are assigned to the decay of the 2.4d¹⁵³Tb. The proposed level scheme of¹⁵³Gd containing most of the observed transitions shows a very high density of low-spin states (45 states below 1.5MeV). Spin and/or parity assignments based mainly on coincidence data and measured transition multipolarities are proposed for a majority of these states. Nilsson model classifications of some levels are discussed. On the basis of logf t values the spin and parity of the ground state of¹⁵³Tb are suggested to be 3/2⁺ or 5/2⁺.     

The mass of the nucleus148Dy

Usingγγ coincidences theEC(K)/β ⁺ ratio for theβ decay¹⁴⁸Dy→¹⁴⁸Tb has been determined.¹⁴⁸Dy has been produced through the irradiation of⁹³Nb with 249 MeV⁵⁸Ni ions. The mass of¹⁴⁸Dy has been deduced. With the help of knownQα values the masses of¹⁵²Er,¹⁵⁶Yb,¹⁶⁰Hf and¹⁶⁴W have been obtained. The experimental masses are compared with different current mass formulae.     

Magnetic properties of ternary gallides of type RNi4Ga (R=rare earths)

The magnetic properties of RNi₄Ga (R=La, Pr, Nd, Sm, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm and Lu) compounds have been investigated. These compounds form in a hexagonal CaCu₅ type structure with a space group P6/mmm. Compounds with the magnetic rare earths, R= Nd, Sm, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er and Tm, undergo a ferromagnetic transition at 5, 17, 20, 19, 12, 3.5, 8 and 6.5 K, respectively. The transition temperatures are smaller compared to their respective parent compounds RNi₅. PrNi₄Ga is paramagnetic down to 2 K. LaNi₄Ga and LuNi₄Ga are Pauli paramagnets. All the compounds show thermomagnetic irreversibility in the magnetically ordered state except GdNi₄Ga.     

Very proton rich nuclei withN≈82

Postaccelerated⁵⁸Ni and⁶⁰Ni beams from the Munich MP tandem have been used to study the compound reactions⁵⁸Ni→⁹³Nb,⁹²Mo,⁹⁴Mo and⁶⁰Ni→⁹²Mo. The final nuclei¹⁴⁸Er,¹⁵⁰Er and¹⁴⁷Ho have been investigated with in-beamγ-spectroscopic methods, such as excitation functions,γγ coincidences, bunched-beam and pulsed-beam techniques. Level schemes of¹⁴⁸Er,¹⁵⁰Er and¹⁴⁷Ho have been established with the following level energies, spins, parities and half-lives:¹⁴⁸Er: 646.6 keV 2⁺; 1,524.0(4⁺); 2,254.3(5^?); 2,526.9(6⁺); 2,537.3(7^?), 2,706.0(7^?, 8^?); 2,784.4(8⁺); 2,915.5(10⁺) 13±3 μs¹⁵⁰Er: 1,578.9 keV 2⁺; 1,786.4 3^?; 2,261.2(5^?); 2,634.1(7^?); 2,734.3(8⁺); 2,798.3(10⁺) 2.7±0.2 us; 4,001.9; 4,491.8; 4,886.0; 5,222.7¹⁴⁷Ho: 765.4; 1,737.2; 2,355; 2,656.6 The level scheme of¹⁵⁰Er has been discussed in the framework of the seniority scheme. Perfect agreement with the experiment has been found for the predictions of this scheme for the half-lives of 10⁺ states inN=82 isotones. This is the first nuclear region where the predictions of the seniority scheme have been observed without strong perturbation.