Excitation of resonance lines of the cadmium ion by monoenergetic electrons

The excitation of resonance lines at 226.5 and 214.4 nm, corresponding to the transitions 226.5 (5p ² P ₁ ^2/0 →5s ² S _1/2) and 5p ² P ₃ ^2/0 → 5s ² S _1/2, respectively, in the Cd⁺ ion upon collisions with monoenergetic electrons with an energy in the range of 4–130 eV is studied with high precision by a spectroscopic method in crossing beams. It is found that the dependence of the effective excitation cross sections of the resonance doublet components on the energy of the electrons has a distinct resonance structure. It is shown that the dominant mechanism responsible for this structure is the capture of an incident electron by a Cd⁺ ion with the simultaneous excitation of an electron from the subvalence 4d ¹⁰ shell to the autoionizing states of the Cd atom with their subsequent decay (directly or via cascade transitions) to resonance levels of the ion. The results obtained are compared with data from other experiments and with the results of the R-matrix strong-coupling calculation of 15 states and of semiempirical calculation using the Van Regemorter formula.     

Study ofγ radiation from100Pd decay

This paper presents a study of the rays from the electron capture decay of 3.63d ¹⁰⁰Pd. Singles and coincidence measurements provided an accurate determination of-ray intensities and an improved knowledge of the¹⁰⁰Rh level scheme. Experimental evidence supports excitation of levels in¹⁰⁰Rh at 86-, 136- and 154 keV, not previously reported from the decay of¹⁰⁰Pd.On leave from Departamento de Fisica, Comision Nacional de Energia Atomica, Buenos Aires, Argentina     

Triggering of nuclear isomers via decay of autoionization states in electron shells (NEET)

Nuclear excitation by an electron transition (NEET) may be used for triggering the decay of nuclear isomers only when there are compensations between energies (ΔE) and multipolarities (ΔL) of the nuclear transition and the transition in an electron shell. It is shown that using the autoionization states (AS) allows one to compensate for the ΔE and ΔL differences. Laser radiation may be used for the excitation of AS with energies up to 10–15 eV and ^229m Th (3.5 eV) nuclear isomer excitation by NEET via AS decay. Ion beams, electron beams, and X rays may be used for the excitation of the trigger nuclear levels with energies up to 150 keV by NEET via AS and for the triggering of the nuclear isomer decay. For excitation of AS with the energies up to 150 keV, two or more hole states in deep inner electron shells must be excited. The cross section for such two-hole state excitation in electron shells by ion beams may be sufficiently high. The possibilities of NEET via AS for the triggering of nuclear isomer decay are discussed.     

Excitation of resonance lines of a Zn+ ion by electron impact

Excitation of individual components of the resonance 4p ² P ₁ ^2,3/2/0 doublet of a Zn⁺ ion by electron impact is studied for the first time by the spectroscopic method in crossed beams. A distinct structure (above the ionization potential of an ion as well) found in the energy dependences of the effective excitation cross section is associated mainly with the decay to the resonance levels (direct or cascade) of autoionization states of zinc atoms and ions formed through the excitation of electrons from the subvalence 3d ¹⁰ shell. The results obtained are compared with data of other experiments and theoretical calculations by the method of strong coupling of five and fifteen states, as well as with the semiempirical calculation using the Van Regemorter formula.     

Autoionization cross section of potassium atom excited by electron impact

The autoionization cross section of potassium atoms excited by electron impact is measured in the energy range from the first autoionization threshold at 18.72 eV to 202 eV. The data are obtained by deter-mining the total intensity of electron spectra resulting from the decay of the 3p ⁵ n ₁ l ₁ n ₂ l ₂ autoionizing states. The cross section has two maxima, 1.8 × 10^?16 and 2.2 × 10^?16 cm², at 21 and 32 eV, respectively. The excitation dynamics of autoionization states suggests that the first maximum is associated with the resonance character of the near-threshold excitation. The second maximum, as well as the behavior of the cross section at energies above 50 eV, reflects the dynamics of electron excitation of quartet and doublet autoionizing states. The measured autoionization cross section is compared with known data for the total single ionization cross section of potassium atom by electron impact. The relative contribution of the autoionization cross section to the total single ionization cross section is found to reach 30% at 32 eV.     

Ion molecule collisions investigated via nuclear resonance fluorescence

The method of nuclear resonance fluorescence has been applied to analyse the profileN(E) of the 285 keV gamma line of⁷⁵As after electron capture decay of⁷⁵Se in gaseous⁷⁵SeH₂ sources. The profileN(E) depends on the velocity distribution of the radioactive As ions at the moment of γ-decay and, hence, is strongly dependent on the slowing down mechanism. Investigating sources with pressures of 1.5, 15, and 177 Torr different states of the slowing down process could be studied. A simple model is developed that describes the basic properties of the experimental line profiles.     

The slowing down of atoms with kinetic energies ofW≲5 eV in Noble Gases: Evidence for inelastic interactions

Profiles of the 264.6 keVγ-line of⁷⁵As emitted after the electron capture decay of⁷⁵Se have been measured using nuclear resonance fluorescence in combination withγγ-coincidences as a high resolution, variable-energyγ spectrometer. The sources consisted of gaseous⁷⁵SeH₂ with different amounts of Kr or Xe. From the line profiles information has been obtained about the velocity distribution of the radioactive⁷⁵As ions after electron capture decay and about the slowing down of the⁷⁵As ions in the moderator gas. The⁷⁵As ions obtain kinetic energies of up toW～5 eV by neutrino recoil and Coulomb fragmentation of the⁷⁵SeH₂ molecules, corresponding to velocities of the order of 10⁵ cm s^?1. The slowing down of the⁷⁵As ions has been interpreted in terms of the model of colliding elastic spheres, taking into account the thermalization in an exact way. No satisfactory agreement has been obtained between measured and calculated line profiles. This result indicates that inelastic processes are of great importance in the interaction of⁷⁵As ions or atoms with the noble gas moderator atoms.     

Search for low-energy induced depletion of Hf at the SPring-8 synchrotron

Electromagnetic transitions within nuclei reflect specific aspects of nuclear structure. This is particularly true for metastable excited states, or isomers, like ¹⁷⁸Hf^m2 (T_1/2=31${\mathrm{T}}_{1/2}=31$ years, excitation energy 2446 keV). The interaction of external radiation with isomers can be used to study atomic and nuclear properties and, perhaps, to induce a release of the stored energy. Some experiments indicated that low-energy photons near the L₃ edge (9.561 keV) of hafnium could cause this to occur for ¹⁷⁸Hf^m2, but the lack of a viable physical model and null experiments by other groups have left these claims in doubt. The present work describes a new experiment to examine this process by closely duplicating the irradiation conditions in positive studies, but using a more advanced multi-detector γ array. No support for an induced depletion of ¹⁷⁸Hf^m2 by low-energy photons was obtained, with an upper limit for the integral cross section that is eight orders-of-magnitude below the reported value.     

Nuclear matrix elements for rare decays

Neutrinoless double electron capture (0νECEC) is being vigorously investigated because of the possibility of it telling us something about the absolute mass scale of the neutrino. The resonant 0νECEC is particularly interesting due to the potentially huge enhancement of its decay rate by a resonance condition. Recently the mass differences of two atom pairs were measured in order to study the enhancement of the 0νECEC rates of ⁷⁴Se and ¹¹²Sn. The associated nuclear matrix elements were also evaluated. The neutrino mass can also be detected by using beta decays with low Q values. Related to this we have investigated the second-forbidden decay branch of ¹¹⁵In with its ultra-low Q value. Open questions about nuclear and atomic contributions to the associated decay rate emerge.     

Precise Radiometry: Some Recent Aspects of Fruitful Interaction with Atomic Physics

Modern radiometric analytics demands a complex consideration of nuclear and electron shell processes, if more pretentious aims are envisaged. As an example the small variation of decay rates of radionuclides presents possibilities for information on chemical situations of decaying atoms. In principle this phenomenon is well known since many years, but now the situation is such that, e.g. in ^99mTc internal conversion, a full agreement of the difficult experiments and the respective theory was established. The secondary emission of X-rays as a consequence of high excitation of electron shells in combination with nuclear transitions supplies another example for a methodical progress of radiometry. Investigations on ⁵¹Cr as an electron capture nuclide have shown that chemically induced variations of the K_α to K_β X-ray intensity ratio is at least qualitatively understood.     

Study of ^{201} Tl\xrightarrow{\varepsilon }^{201} Hg decay properties

The intensities of the transitions to the ground-state and the first excited level of ²⁰¹Hg in ²⁰¹Tl decay and the values of the constant log ft are estimated on the basis of an analysis of the relative intensities of the mercury M ₄ N _6,7 N _6,7 Auger electron line induced by ? capture and the mercury conversion O ₃ line caused by the 1.56-keV nuclear transition.     

Giant M2 and transversal E1 resonances in light nuclei

The cross section for inelastic backward electron scattering on 1p shell nuclei at incident energy E_e = 70 MeV is calculated in the shell model. Comparison is made with radiative pion capture and muon capture. It is shown that the T_> branch of the M2 resonance in (e, e') and the main maxima in the (π^?, γ) response function are formed by identical partial transitions. We consider the basic features of the M2 resonance excitation in 1p shell nuclei and predict configurational and isospin splitting of this mode.     

Relaxation phenomena and nuclear magnetic resonance of116In(T 1/2=14s) produced by capture of polarized neutrons in the indium III–V compounds

Polarized¹¹⁶In nuclei have been produced by capture of polarized thermal neutrons in several In compounds. At temperaturesT below 77 °K and magnetic field strengthsH ₀ of several kOe, asymmetries of a few percent of the β^? decay of the¹¹⁶In ground state could be observed in polycrystalline InP, InAs and InSb, thus indicating the nuclear polarization. Nuclear magnetic resonance signals have been measured with the result for the magnetic moment μ _i (¹¹⁶In)=2.7723 (10) nm (uncorrected). β^? decay asymmetry and spin lattice relaxation timeT ₁ have been studied as a function ofH ₀ andT. The effect ofH ₀ is to decouple the hyperfine interaction caused by the capture-γ recoil process. However,H ₀ has no influence uponT ₁, which demonstrates the absence of nuclear relaxation due to paramagnetic impurities.T ₁ is determined by quadrupolar relaxation. A quadrupole momentQ(¹¹⁶In)=0.09 (2) b was calculated by comparison of the¹¹⁶In relaxation rates with those of the stable¹¹⁵In isotope in the same compounds. Above 30 °K the temperature dependence of 1/T ₁ agrees with a recent theoretical investigation. Below 30 °K the relaxation rate shows an anomalous behaviour, which can be explained by resonance modes due to recoil lattice defects.     

L 1 subshell yields atZ=73 from the electron capture decay of181W

The TaL x ray spectrum from the electron capture decay of¹⁸¹W is analyzed into components characteristic of the threeL-subshells and theL ₁ subshell yields atZ=73 are determined to beΩ ₁=0.15±0.02,f ₁₂=0.23±0.05 andf ₁₃=0.32±0.02. A revised decay scheme for the decay of¹⁸¹W is proposed from measurements of x-ray and gamma intensities. A value of 0.97±0.08 for theK-conversion coefficient of the 153 keV transition is obtained and itsE ₂/M ₁ multipolarity mixing ratio,δ ²(0.25) is deduced.     

Luminescence induced by x-ray in lithium hydride

Luminescence spectra and decay times of a single crystal LiH were measured with X-ray and pulsed electron excitation at low temperature. The emission band at 4.4 eV with a decay time of 220 nsec and the one at 3.3 eV with decay times of 17 and 150 μsec are tentatively ascribed to correspond to the σ- and π-type transitions, respectively, of the (X^?₂ + e) in alkali halides.     

NMR/ON of206BiFe produced by decay of cold implanted206Po

²⁰⁶Po was implanted into iron at T<0.2 K. After electron capture decay to²⁰⁶Bi nuclear magnetic resonance of oriented²⁰⁶BiFe was observed with an asymmetric resonance line shape. Evaluation of the data with the superposition of two Gaussian lines results in ν=693.7(2) MHz for the center frequency of the narrow one of the two lines at external field zero. From this B_hf (BiFe)=119.0(1.3) T is derived. The effective spin-lattice relaxation time of²⁰⁶BiFe at T=13 mK was measured as Ti=0.94(5) s.     

Messung des Elektroneneinfangs am Kern176m Lu

The electron capture of^176m Lu to the ground state and to the first excited state of¹⁷⁶Yb has been observed by measuring the YbK x-rays and the 82,2 keV gamma-rays from the gamma decay of the first excited state in¹⁷⁶Yb. With the data of the 88,36 keV gammarays following the beta decay of^176m Lu to the first excited state of¹⁷⁶Hf the electron capture/beta decay ratio of^176m Lu was found to be (0,95±0,16)·10^?4. The electron capture branching ratio to the ground state and to the first excited state of¹⁷⁶Yb was found to be 40/60±30%. By analyzing the 88,36keV gamma-rays and the HfKx-rays the halflife of^176m Lu was evaluated to be 3,66±0,04 h. The value for theK-conversion coefficient of the 88,36keV transition was determined from the x-ray/gamma-ray ratio to be 1,19±0,09.     

Electromagnetic decay of the 6+ isomer of102Rh

Conversion electrons, and X rays from¹⁰²Rh^m (6⁺,T _1/2=1057 d) have been studied. An electromagnetic branch (2.3±0.3) ·10^–3 feeding the¹⁰²Rh first excited state has been observed in the 6⁺ isomeric decay. The excitation energy of the 6⁺ isomer turns out to be 140.7 keV above the 2^– ground state.We wish to thank P. Del Carmine, M. Ottanelli, and A. Pecchioli for their skillful collaboration during the measurements and the Technical Staffs of LNS and LNL for operation of the Tandem Accelerators.     

Towards beyond 1 GHz NMR: Mechanism of the long-term drift of screening current-induced magnetic field in a Bi-2223 coil

The screening current-induced magnetic field in the (Bi,Pb)₂Sr₂Ca₂Cu₃O_x (Bi-2223) insert coil proposed for a beyond 1 GHz nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer may generate a long-term field drift, resulting in a loss of field-frequency lock operation and an inability to make high resolution NMR measurements. The measured screening current-induced magnetic field of a Bi-2223 double-pancake coil exhibits a hysteresis effect at 4.2 K that is reproduced by a numerical simulation based on a finite thickness rectangular superconductor bar model. The screening current-induced field at the coil center is of opposite polarity to that generated by the coil current, and thus the apparent field intensity shows a positive drift with time. On the contrary, the field at a coil end is of the same polarity as the coil field, and the apparent field intensity decreases with time. If we wait for ∼1000 h after coil excitation, the field drift rate approaches the field decay rate of the persistent current of 10⁻⁸ h⁻¹, suitable for a long-term NMR measurement in a beyond 1 GHz NMR spectrometer.