Gamma-Ray Transitions Induced in Nuclear Spin Isomers by X-Rays

Because of the high density of energy storage and the large cross section for its release, nuclear spin isomers have attracted considerable recent interest. The triggering of induced gamma emission from them has encouraged efforts to develop intense sources of short-wavelength radiation. One of the more interesting examples is the 16⁺ 4-qp isomer of ¹⁷⁸Hf which stores 2.445 MeV for a half-life of 31 years meaning that as a material, such isomeric ¹⁷⁸Hf would store 1.3 GJ/g. Recently, a sample containing 6.3×10¹⁴ nuclei of the isomer of ¹⁷⁸Hf was irradiated with X-ray pulses derived from a device operated at 15 mA to produce bremsstrahlung radiation with end point energies set to values between 60 and 90 keV. Emission of gamma radiation from the sample was increased by 1–2% above the quiescent value of spontaneous emission. Such an accelerated decay of the ¹⁷⁸Hf isomer is consistent with an integrated cross section of 2.2×10⁻²² cm² keV if the resonant absorption of the X-rays takes place below 20 keV as indicated by the use of selective absorbing filters in the irradiating beam. The work reported here describes the current experimental focus and results recently obtained with the use of coincident detection of emitted gamma photons by several detectors. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Coulomb excitation of the Kπ=16+ rotational band in 178Hf

A heavy-ion multiple Coulomb excitation experiment on a very exotic target containing microweight quantities of ¹⁷⁸Hf in the K^πn = 16⁺ isomeric state has been performed at 4.77 MeV/u ²⁰⁸Pb beam energy. The first excited I^π = 17⁺ state has been observed at an excitation energy of 357.4 ± 0.3 keV with respect to the isomeric state. The intrinsic electric quadrupole moment of Q ₀ = 8.2 ± 1.1 b has been derived from the experimental data within the rigid rotor model.     

Coulomb excitation of the Kπ=16+ rotational band in178Hf

A heavy-ion multiple Coulomb excitation experiment on a very exotic target containing microweight quantities of¹⁷⁸Hf in the K^π = 16⁺ isomeric state has been performed at 4.77 MeV/u²⁰⁸Pb beam energy. The first excited I^π = 17⁺ state has been observed at an excitation energy of 357.4±0.3 keV with respect to the isomeric state. The intrinsic electric quadrupole moment ofQ ₀=8.2±1.1 b has been derived from the experimental data within the rigid rotor model.     

Decay of high-spin isomers in Os nuclei by barrier penetration

A decay scheme for the 130±20 ns high-spin isomer in ¹⁸²Os has been established. The excitation energy of the isomer is 7049±1 keV and it has I^π = 25⁽⁺⁾. A 2.4% decay directly to the yrast 24⁺ level at 5988 keV is observed. In ¹⁸⁴Os a 20±5 ns isomer is observed at 2366±1 keV excitation energy with I^π = 10⁺. Again, direct transitions into the yrast 8⁺ and 10⁺ levels are observed. Contrary to previous speculations, there is no compelling evidence for stable triaxial shapes in the structure of the levels through which the isomers decay. The abnormally short half-lives observed, as well as the unusual decay patterns, are best understood in terms of a γ-soft nuclear potential. Motion in the γ-direction allows the isomer to decay via barrier penetration from an axially symmetric prolate shape with the angular momentum along the nuclear symmetry axis (deformation aligned state) via oblate shapes to another prolate shape with the angular momentum perpendicular to the nuclear symmetry axis (rotation-aligned state).     

Search for x-ray induced acceleration of the decay of the 31-yr isomer of (178)Hf using synchrotron radiation

Enhanced decay of the 31-yr isomer of (178)Hf induced by x-ray irradiation has been reported previously. Here we describe an attempt to reproduce this result with an intense "white" x-ray beam from the Advanced Photon Source. No induced decay was observed. The upper limits for the energy-integrated cross sections for such a process, over the range of energies of 20--60 keV x rays, are less than 2 x 10(-27) cm(2) keV, below the previously reported values by more than 5 orders of magnitude; at 8 keV the limit is 5 x 10(-26) cm(2) keV.     

Preparation of the 178m2Hf isomer used in the induced gamma decay experiment by X-ray from synchrotron radiation facility

It is widely acknowledged that the ^178m2Hf nuclide is the most suitable substance to study the decay characteristic of the isomer induced by low-energy X-ray. In order to conduct the experiment on the induced gamma emission, the research group has started producing the ^178m2Hf nuclide based on the ¹⁷⁶Yb(??, 2n)^178m2Hf reaction. After the chemical purification is conducted, the sample is prepared and used in Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility. During the production of isomer, the natural metal Yb target is got through magnetron sputtering. Bombarded by ?? particles about 27 MeV, the ^178m2Hf nuclide reaches about 10¹². Yb target prepared in this way is most suitable for the production of ^178m2Hf nuclide in the CS30 cyclotron. There are various nuclides in the irradiated target and the main long-lived nuclides are ¹⁷³Lu, ¹⁷²Lu, ¹⁷⁵Hf, ¹⁷²Hf and ⁶⁵Zn. The chemical separation of ^178m2Hf is studied and its process is monitored by radioactive tracer. The above result shows that decontamination factors of Zn and Lu are 10⁵ and 10³, respectively, and the yield of hafnium is 69%. Under the protection of vacuum filtration technology, the purified ^178m2Hf isomers are entirely transferred to the surface of filter paper, in order to form the sample which satisfies requirements of X-ray triggering the ^178m2Hf isomer decay experiment in Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility in the future.     

Effect of the dose and energy of Ar+ ions on the surface properties of vanadium and its alloys

The features of processes occurring on the surface of vanadium and its alloys irradiated using the ILU ion-beam accelerator with Ar⁺ ions at an energy of 20 and 40 keV up to doses of 5.0 × 10²¹ m^?2 and 1.0 × 10²² m^?2 at T _irr ≈ 700 K are studied. The effect of the dose and energy of implanted ions on the surface hardness is obtained. The thickness of the hardened layer is more than two orders of magnitude higher than the theoretical and experimental projected range of Ar⁺ ions at an energy of 20 and 40 keV in vanadium. Structural changes in the surface layers, which are expressed in a change in the intensity of reflections from a number of planes and an increase in the crystal-lattice parameter of the irradiated materials, are also observed.     

Charge exchange cross sections for He+ incident on Cs

The total charge-exchange cross section, σ₊₀, for He⁺ incident on Cs vapor has been measured in the energy range 0.5 to 41 keV. The cross section falls from (1664 ± 100) × 10^?17 cm² at 1.4 keV to (224 ± 20) × 10^-17 cm² at 41 keV. These measurements are compared with previous measurements and with theoretical calculations of this cross section.     

Brute-force orientation of178m 2Hf and magnetic moments of178m 1Hf and178m 2Hf

Gamma-ray anisotropy measurements have been carried out with brute-force oriented^178m ₂Hf (16⁺) to derive its magnetic moment 7.26 (±0.16; +0.2/−0) nm and E2/M1 mixing ratios of some γ-transitions observed in the decay of this isomer. This magnetic moment is in agreement with an earlier proposed four-quasi-particle configuration. The magnetic moment of the 8⁻ isomer at 1147.7 keV (4.0 s) is estimated to be between 1.4 and 5.3 nm, which confirms mixing of the {p[514]9/2 +p[404]7/2}8⁻ and {n[514]7/2+n[624]9/2}8⁻ configurations, which summed together give the 16⁺ isomer.     

TheK-conversion coefficient near threshold of the 30 keV isomeric transition in108mAg decay

With calibrated Ge(Li) x-ray detectorsK x rays in the conversion of the 30 keV isomeric transition in the decay of^108mAg were observed in coincidence with 79 keV γ-rays. Thus, the fraction of 30 keV transitions which take place byK conversion was measured to be (2.44±0.23) × 10^?2. Making use of a theoretical total conversion coefficient (K conversion contributes only a minor part of the total conversion coefficient), an experimental value of theK-conversion coefficient was obtained, α_K=(1.07 ± 0.10) × 10⁴ (where the error represents twice the standard deviation to which the error in the detector efficiency has been added linearly). This value agrees with the theory of Hager and Seltzer forM4 conversion. The energy of the cascading γ-ray was remeasured to be 79.20 ± 0.05 keV.     

Search for neutron resonances in the $$^{178m_2 } Hf$$ isomer and their investigation

Experiments aimed at detecting and investigating neutron resonances in the \(^{178m_2 } Hf\) isomer are described, and the results obtained in these experiments are presented. The investigations in question are of great interest since the structure of this isomer—it is interpreted as the (π7/2⁺, π9/2⁺, ν7/2⁺, ν9/2⁺) configuration—and its high spin of J=16 differ significantly from the structure and spin of nuclei studied previously. The experiments performed at the Kurchatov Institute employed a neutron source based on the FAKEL linear electron accelerator and a multisection detector from NaI(Tl) crystals that was able to ensure a 4π coverage. This equipment made it possible to study gamma-ray cascades in radiative neutron capture versus neutron energy. Despite an extremely small number of isomer nuclei, a low content of the isomer in the target used, and its high radioactivity, resonances were discovered that arise upon neutron capture by a high-spin \(^{178m_2 } Hf\) nucleus. The parameters of these resonances were found. The mean spacing between the revealed resonances is about 1 eV, which is consistent with calculations based on the Fermi gas model. This indicates that the Fermi gas model describes well the density of both low-and high-spin levels. At the same time, the above agreement suggests that, upon the formation of a compound nucleus, the structure of the isomeric state is destroyed completely. On the other hand, glaring discrepancies between experimental data and the predictions of the statistical model were found: gamma transitions from high-spin resonances (J=31/2⁺, 33/2⁺) populate predominantly the low-spin ground state (J=9/2⁺) rather than the high-spin state of the \(^{178m_2 } Hf\) isomer (J=25/2^?); the radiative width is approximately one-third as great as that which is predicted by the statistical model; and the properties of gamma cascades are different for different resonances, this difference being beyond statistical fluctuations. The results of the present investigation make it possible to reveal special features in the behavior of the quantum number K at high excitation energies.     

Relation of contact densities with Mössbauer isomer shifts for 35.46 keV M1 transition of125Te

The internal conversion electron and Mössbauer isomer shifts associated with the 35.46 keV M1 transition of¹²⁵Te were observed for different metal samples into which radioactive¹²⁵I as probe atoms were introduced by means of ion-implantation. From the correlation between the Mössbauer isomer shifts and intensity ratios of O shell to N_I shell conversion electrons, a relation between 5s-electron contact densityp _5s(0) in a.u. and isomer shift δ in mm/s was deduced to bep _5s(0)=106+30.3 δ±4.3[(δ?0.30)²+0.069]^1/2, where δ was measured relative to ZnTe in mm/s. The change of the nuclear charge radius in the 35.46 keV M1 transition of¹²⁵Te was found to be ΔR/R=(0.85±0.12)×10^?4 (corresponding to Δ<r ²>=(3.7±0.5)×10^?3 fm²) when a theoretical 4s-electron contact density of 928 a.u. was used.     

Coulomb excitation in 180Hf

Coulomb excitation studies have been performed to measure transition probabilities of collective quadrupole vibrational states in ¹⁸⁰Hf. The I = 2 level of the K^π = 2⁺ collective γ-band is established at 1200.5 keV with B(E2)_exc = (11.0 ± 1.1) × 10^?50e² · cm⁴ (3.6 ± 0.4 s.p.u.). The angular distribution of the de-exciting γ-rays from this level yields δ = 9.6⁺²²_?5.8 or, less likely, 0.7 ± 0.2 for the 1107.2 keV 2_γ⁺ → 2_g⁺ transition. The B(E2)_exc for any K^πI = 0⁺2 stateorother 2⁺ states up to 1500 keV is less than 5 × 10^?51e² · cm⁴ (< 0.2. s.p.u.).     

The (p,t) reactions on nuclei in the rare earth region

The (p, t) reactions on isotopic targets of ^{178, 180}Hf and all the stable isotopes of Yb and on natural targets of Gd, Dy, Er, Hf, Ta, W, Os and Au were studied at a beam energy of 19 MeV with an average resolution of 12 keV. A split-pole magnetic spectrometer was used to measure (p, t) Q-values and absolute differential cross sections. On the basis of angular distribution shapes definite 0⁺ and tentative 2⁺ assignments were made. Rotational bands were identified assuming an I(I+1) spacing. The (p, t) reaction populates excited 0⁺ states strongly in ¹⁷⁴Yb, ¹⁷⁶Hf, ¹⁶⁶Yb and several Gd, Dy and Er isotopes. The ¹⁷⁴Yb and ¹⁷⁶Hf 0⁺ states are discussed in terms of the pairing phase transition and in terms of Nilsson orbitals with unequal (p, t) reaction amplitudes. Members of gamma and octupole vibrational bands were observed in the even-N nuclei. The lowest L = 0 transfers to states in ^{169, 171}Yb were found to have less than 55% of the strength to ground states in adjacent even-N nuclei. A strong L = 0 transfer to a state at 1513 keV in ¹⁷¹Yb indicates the presence of a possible K = 0 core vibration coupled to the unpaired $\text{5}\text{2}$[512] neutron. The natural targets have furnished information on trends in cross sections for members of ground bands, gamma bandheads, 3^? octupole states, and strongly excited 0⁺ states.     

Isomeric states in180Os

Two new isomers have been observed in¹⁸⁰Os. A high-K isomer withI, K ≧20 and a half-life ofT _1/2=12+4 ns have been established. It deexcites via two transitions into the 18⁺ level of the yrare band indicating an unusually smallK-hindrance factor. Evidence for an isomer withI, K>16 and a half-life ofT _1/2=41±10 ns was found. A half-life of 17±3 ns was measured for the previously known 7^? state at 1862 keV. The decay scheme of the previously known 7^? isomer at 1928 keV has been extended and a revised version is presented.     

Modification of the magnetic properties of polyimide films by cobalt ion implantation

The magnetic characteristics of polyimide films implanted with Co⁺ ions with an energy of 40 keV in the dose range D = 2.50 × 10¹⁶?1.25 × 10¹⁷ cm^?2 at ion current densities j = 4, 8, and 12 μA/cm² have been investigated. It has been shown that, at implantation doses of less than 5 × 10¹⁶ cm^?2, the superparamagnetic properties of modified samples are described by the Langevin equation. At higher doses, there is an intercluster interaction. It has been found that, with an increase in the ion current, the cluster size decreases. The sizes of the formed clusters are determined and vary in the range from 3.9 to 11.0 nm, depending on the implantation dose.     

Calculations of electric quadrupole moments and charge radii for high-K isomers

Configuration-constrained potential-energy-surface calculations are performed to investigate high-K isomers in ⁹⁷Y, ¹³⁰Ba, ¹⁷⁶Yb, ¹⁷⁷Lu, and ¹⁷⁸Hf that were observed to have increased electric quadrupole moments but decreased charge radii relative to the states on which they are built. Taking into account the effects of deformation change and unpaired protons, our calculations can reproduce the enhancement of electric quadrupole moments for the isomers in ⁹⁷Y, ¹³⁰Ba, ¹⁷⁶Yb, ¹⁷⁷Lu and the K ^π = 8^? isomer in ¹⁷⁸Hf, and can reproduce the reduction of charge radii for the K ^π = 27/2^? isomer in ⁹⁷Y and the K ^π = 16⁺ isomer in ¹⁷⁸Hf.     

Identification of153Lu β decay

In the bombardment of a 270μg/cm ^{2 180}Hf target with⁴⁸ Ca projectiles at a primary beam energy of E/A=4.24 MeV/u the new nuclide²²⁵U was produced. The experiment was performed at the velocity filter SHIP. ²²⁵U was found to decay by α emission with E_α=(7880 ±20) keV (≈90%), (7830±20) keV (≈10%) and has a half-life ofT _1/2=(80 _?20 ⁺⁴⁰ ms).     

Identification of a 3.2μs isomer in76Rb

Fusion evaporation reactions were investigated to search for short lived isomeric states of nuclei near the proton drip line. Gamma spectra were measured, both singles and in delayed coincidence with evaporation residues implanted into a silicon detector after a velocity separation. A short lived activity was measured in the⁴⁰Ca+⁴⁰Ca →⁸⁰Zr^* reaction at excitation energies between 55 and 79 MeV. A half-life of 3.20 (10) μs was determined from delayed coincidences between evaporation residues and gamma rays. AtE ^*=55 MeV the cross section is 9 mb. The activity was assigned to an isomeric state in⁷⁶Rb by investigation of excitation functions. The isomer decays by emission of four gamma rays with energies of 70.55(5), 101.30(4), 145.11 (5), and 246.32(10) keV. A first level scheme is proposed assigning to the isomeric state an energy of 316.94(7) keV above the ground state. The isomer decaying into the low spin 1^(?) ground state band is explained from systematics as a band head of a high spin (4⁺) (πg_9/2,νg_9/2) structure. A high hindrance factor of 3×10⁶ forE1 radiation compared to a single particle transition is due possibly to a change of the core particle structure in the transition.