Electron capture decay of 51 min191Hg

The decay¹⁹¹Hg→¹⁹¹Au was investigated by measuring γ-ray spectra, conversion electron spectra, and coincidence spectra, as well as lifetimes in the second region. The parent isotope¹⁹¹Hg was produced by the reaction¹⁹⁷Au (d, 8n) withE _d =80 MeV. About 80 γ-transitions of this decay were observed. Multipolarities of the more intense transitions were determined. An isomeric state of 0.92±0.11 s half-life was found in¹⁹¹Au. A level scheme for¹⁹¹Au is suggested. The measured γ-transitions are attributed to the decay of a 13/2⁺ isomeric state of¹⁹¹Hg; its half-life was found to be 50.8 ±1.5 min. The core excitation model was used to discuss some features of the level structure in¹⁹¹Au.     

Nuclear moments and charge radius changes in platinum isotopes

Isotope shift (IS) and hyperfine structure (HFS) measurements have been performed for^{185, 187, 189, 191, 195}Pt using the PILIS (Post ISOCELE Laser Isobar Separator) apparatus installed at the ISOCELE facility. Magnetic and quadrupole moments have been deduced from the HFS results. The charge radius changes determined for these odd nuclei from the IS results, added to the σ<r²> values of the even-A nuclei are compared to the results of lattice Hartree-Fock+BCS calculations for asymmetric solutions:¹⁸⁵Pt is confirmed to be prolate shaped whereas^{187, 189, 191}Pt are likely triaxial in their ground states.     

Nicole: New on-line orientation facility at ISOLDE/CERN

This paper presents off-line and on-line orientation results obtained with the new on line nuclear orientation device NICOLE in CERN. Magnetic moments of^187,185Pt ^g and¹⁸⁶Ir ^m , electric quadrupole moment ratios between Pt isotopes with mass number 185, 187 and 189, the spin of the 2 h isomer of¹⁸⁶Ir and a new decay scheme of¹⁸⁴Au involving a metastable state are established. The shape variation versus mass number of the Pt isotopes leads to sign change of the spectroscopic quadrupole moment between A=187 and 185.     

Nuclear ground-state spin of185Au and magnetic moments of 187, 188Au: Further evidence for coexisting nuclear shapes in this mass region

Hyperfine structure measurements have been performed in some neutron-deficient gold isotopes, using on-line atomic-beam magnetic resonance (ABMR) techniques at the ISOLDE facility, CERN. The following results have been obtained: ¹⁸⁵Au, I = $\text{5}\text{2}$; ¹⁸⁷Au, Δv = 44.35(60) GHz, μ = 0.72(7) n.m. and ¹⁸⁸Au, Δv = ± 2992(30) MHz. A discussion of the influence of the hyperfine anomaly is included. With due regard to this effect, the magnetic moments of ¹⁸⁸Au may be given as μ = ± 0.07(3) n.m. The experimental data are compared with the results from calculations based on the particle-asymmetric rotor model. Strong evidence for coexisting nuclear shapes in ¹⁸⁵Au and for a much larger ground-state deformation in ¹⁸⁵Au than in ¹⁸⁷Au is presented.     

Radioactive decay of Os191 and Os191m

Beta and gamma spectra of Os¹⁹¹ were studied using a magnetic double-focusing beta-spectrometer and a scintillation spectrometer. The isomeric state Os^191m decays through the 74·4 ± 0·1 keV (E3/M4=50) transition with a half-lifeT _1/2=13·0 ± 0·5 hours. A continuous beta spectrum withE _max=147 ± 3 keV and the gamma transitions 41·83 ± 0·05 keV (E3), 82·5 ± 0·3 keV and 129·4 ± 0·1 keV (70%M1 + 30%E2) were observed in the decay of the ground state of Os¹⁹¹. The conversion coefficient of the last transition was determined as 1·94 ±± — 0·10. Gamma transitions with energies of 47 keV and 185·8 keV were not observed.     

Very converted transitions and particle-core coupling in neutron-deficient odd-mass au isotopes

Levels in^{185, 187}Au have been studied by radioactive decay of isotopically separated^{185, 187}Hg. A number of low-energy very-converted transitions are observed in the decay. It is shown that the enhanced conversion in these cases comes from an E0 component rather than from an anomaly in theM1 conversion process. A systematic pattern of bands interconnected with these very converted transitions is presented as evidence for a new type of particle-core coupling in^{185, 187}Au.     

Magnetic hyperfine field of Hg in nickel and the sign of magnetic moment of 197mAu by NMR-ON

Nuclear magnetic resonance on oriented nuclei (NMR-ON) measurements were performed on the successive decay of ^197mHg–^197mAu in Ni. The NMR-ON resonance spectra of ^197mHgNi were obtained by detecting the 134 keV γ-ray from the decay of ^197mHg and the 279 keV γ-ray from the decay of ^197mAu. The magnetic hyperfine splitting frequency of ^197mHgNi in an external magnetic field of 0.2 T has been determined as 16.55(6) MHz. With the known g-factor of ^197mHg the hyperfine field of B₈₂(^197mHgNi)= -13.53(6) T was deduced. The anisotropy of the 279 keV γ-ray (^197mAu to ¹⁹⁷Au) increased at the resonance. This phenomenon was explained using the spin inversion process including the lifetime of the isomer and the spin–lattice relaxation time. The sign of the g-factor of ^197mAu was determined to be positive. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Near-barrier fusion reactions induced by α on197Au,193Ir,191Ir,185Re,181Ta,121Sb and69Ga nuclei

Fusion-evaporation cross-sections for the α-induced reactions upon¹⁹⁷Au,¹⁹³Ir,¹⁹¹Ir,¹⁸⁵Re,¹⁸¹Ta,¹²¹Sb and⁶⁹Ga nuclei at bombarding energies near the Coulomb barrier have been measured by off-line observation of the γ-rays emitted in the radioactive decay of the residual nuclei using stacked foil technique. The total fusion cross-section for the systems have been compared with simple statistical model calculations using the code ALICE/91 as well as with the coupled channel calculations that include the β₂ and ν₄ slatic deformations and dynamic couplings of the vibrational/rotational states of the target and the projet tile using the code CCDEF.     

Mössbauer study of197Au in Zn and Cd single crystals

The 77.3 keV Mössbauer transition of¹⁹⁷Au was used to study the hyperfine interactions and recoilfree fractions of dilute Au impurities in Zn and Cd single crystals at 4 K. Mössbauer sources were prepared by ion implantation of^197mHg/¹⁹⁷Hg at ambient temperature. From the quadrupole splittings the electric field gradients $$\begin{gathered} eq(Au\underline {Cd} ) = + 11.7(6) \times 10^{17} v/cm^2 and \hfill \\ eq(Au\underline {Zn} ) = ( + )15.0(2.5) \times 10^{17} v/cm \hfill \\ \end{gathered} $$ were determined. The electric field gradients as well as the isomer shifts are in good agreement with the systematics of other impurity host systems. The recoilfree fractions agree with estimates using the mass corrected Debye temperatures of the host lattice.     

Magnetic dipole moments of the 11/2− isomers of193, 195, 197Au

Nuclear orientation techniques have been used to derive the magnetic dipole moments of the three 11/2^? isomers of^{193, 195, 197}Au. The derived q-factors are: 1.121(17) for^193mAu, 1.122(17) for^195mAu, and 1.17(7) for^197mAu. For the first two isotopes, the NMR-ON method could be used. In the latter case, the temperature dependence of nuclear orientation has been used.     

Study of the structure and electronic state of thiolate-protected gold clusters by means of 197Au Mössbauer spectroscopy

We have investigated the structures and electronic states of a series of glutathionate-protected Au clusters, Au _n (SG) _m with n = 10 ? ～55, using ¹⁹⁷Au Mössbauer spectroscopy, which allows us to probe the local environment of the constituent Au atoms via isomer shift (IS) and quadrupole splitting (QS). The spectral profile abruptly changes on going from Au₂₂(SG)₁₇ to Au₂₅(SG)₁₈, then it smoothly changes to that of Au～₅₅(SG)_m. However, the spectral profile dramatically changes on going from Au～₅₅(SG)_m to the dodecanethiolate-protected Au cluster with average diameter of 2 nm. The ¹⁹⁷Au Mössbauer spectra of glutathionate-protected Au clusters and dodecanethiolate-protected Au clusters were successfully analyzed on the basis of the structure and electronic state of Au₂₅(SG)₁₈.     

Decays of 185m + gHg: Low-spin levels of 185Au as a test of nuclear models

The decay of ^{185m + g}Hg has been studied on-line with mass-separated sources from the ISOCELE facility. Precise conversion-electron measurements were performed with a 180° spectrograph. The $\text{13}\text{2}{}^{\mathrm{+}}$ isomeric state of ¹⁸⁵Hg ($\text{T}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>1</mtext><mtext>2</mtext>}}\text{= 28 ± 5 s}$) was located with respect to the $\text{1}\text{2}$^? ground state ($\text{T}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>1</mtext><mtext>2</mtext>}}\text{= 55 ± 10 s}$). A level scheme of ¹⁸⁵Au has been established. Two abnormally converted M1 transitions de-excite a state local at 330.2 keV. Excited states of ¹⁸⁵Au have been discussed in the framework of a “quasi-particle + axial rotor” approach, quasi-particle states being issued from Hartree-Fock plus BCS calculations using the SIII Skyrme force. Most of the low-spin negative-parity levels have been identified as h_{$\text{9}\text{2}$} + f _{$\text{5}\text{2}$} or p_{$\text{3}\text{2}$} + f_{$\text{7}\text{2}$} mixed states. The h_{$\text{11}\text{2}$} system has also been discussed using a model of asingle-j quasi-particle coupled to a triaxial rotor.     

Observation of Au + Au → Au + Au + ρ 0 and Au + Au → Au* + Au* + ρ 0 with STAR

We report the first observation of the reactions Au + Au → Au + Au + ρ ⁰ and Au + Au → Au* + Au* + ρ ⁰ with the STAR detector. The ρ are produced at small perpendicular momentum, as expected if they couple coherently to both nuclei. We discuss models of vector meson production and the correlation with nuclear breakup, and present a fundamental test of quantum mechanics that is possible with the system.     

Mid-rapidity ϕ meson production at \sqrt {s_{NN} } = 200 GeV Au+Au and pp collisions from STAR

We present the results for the measurement of ? meson production in $\sqrt {s_{NN} } = 200$ GeV Au+Au and pp collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). Using the event mixing technique, spectra and yields are obrained from the ?→K⁺K^? decay channel for five centrality bins in Au+Au collisions and in pp collisions. We observe that the spectrum shape in Au+Au collisions depends weakly on the centrality and the shape of the spectrum in pp collisions is significantly different from that in Au+Au collisions.     

Nuclear shape transition in neutron-deficient gold isotopes

On-line resonance ionization mass spectrometry has been applied to determine the isotope shift and hyperfine structure of^185–189Au and tne I=11/2 isomer of¹⁸⁹Au in the 6s²S_1/2 6p²P_1/2=268 nm) transition. The Au atoms were obtained as daughters of mass-separated Hg isotopes produced at the ISOLDE facility at CERN, ionized by a three-step resonant photoionization process, detected and mass-selected by time of flight. A drastic change of the nuclear charge radius was observed between¹⁸⁷Au and¹⁸⁶Au, which is interpreted as an onset of strong deformation of ₂ 0.25 in¹⁸⁶Au and¹⁸⁵Au.This work has been supported by the Bundesministerium für Forschung und Technologie. One of us, J. Wood was supported in part by the U.S. Department of Energy, Contract DE-AS05-80 ER 10599.     

Diffusion of gold in dislocation-free or highly dislocated silicon measured by the spreading-resistance technique

The diffusion of Au in dislocation-free or plastically deformed Si (10¹¹ to 10¹³ dislocations/m²) was measured with the aid of the spreading-resistance technique. The Au profiles produced indislocation-free Si slices by in-diffusion from both surfaces possess nonerfc-type U shapes as predicted by the so-called kick-out diffusion model. This model is used to calculate the contribution of self-interstitials to the (uncorrelated) Si self-diffusion coefficient,D _I ^SD =0.064×exp(–4.80 eV/kT)m² s^–1, from the present and previous data on the diffusivity and solubility of Au in Si in the temperature range 1073–1473 K. Inhighly dislocated Si the diffusion of Au is considerably faster than in dislocation-free Si. From the erfc-type penetration profiles found in this case, effective Au diffusion coefficients were deduced and combined with data on the solubility of Au in Si. ThusC _i ^eq D _i=0.0064 ×exp(–3.93 eV/kT)m² s^–1 was obtained in the temperature range 1180–1427 K, whereC _i ^eq andD _i are the solubility and diffusivity of interstitial Au in Si.     

Oblate ground-state shapes of 11 h 189Pt and 2.8 d 191Pt

With nuclear orientation on $\text{11}\text{h}\text{3}\text{2}{}^{\mathrm{?189}}\text{Pt}\text{, 2.8}\text{d}\text{3}\text{2}{}^{\mathrm{?191}}\text{Pt}$ and $\text{4.0}\text{d}\text{13}\text{2}{}^{\mathrm{<mtext>+\; 195\; </mtext><mtext>m</mtext>}}\text{Pt}$ in Os and NMR on oriented ¹⁸⁹Pt and ¹⁹¹Pt in Fe electric and magnetic hyperfine splitting frequencies were measured. The nuclear moments are deduced to be: ¹⁸⁹Pt: |μ| = 0.434(9) μ_N, Q = ?0.65(26) b; ¹⁹¹Pt: |μ| = 0.500(10) μ_N, Q = ?0.64(26) b; ^195mPt: Q = +1.42(60)b. The negative spectroscopic ground-state quadrupole moments of ¹⁸⁹Pt and ¹⁹¹Pt must be due to oblate ground-state deformations, thus indicating that the prolate-oblate phase transition in Pt is located at A < 189.     

DerK-Konversionskoeffizient für den Zerfall des Os191m

Os^191m was produced by bombarding natural osmium with fast neutrons. The gamma-rays were studied with Ge(Li)-detectors. TheK-conversion coefficient was determined by comparing the gamma-spectrum of Os^191m with the spectrum emitted by the osmium anode of a X-ray tube. The result is α _K =38.4 _?4.6 ^+7.7 . This result is compared with theory.     

Quasielastic transfer reactions in 238U + 197Au and 197Au + 197Au collisions near the Coulomb barrier

Differential cross sections as a function of cm angle were measured for 1n- and 2n-transfer reactions in ²³⁸U + ¹⁹⁷ Au and¹⁹⁷ Au + ¹⁹⁷ Au collisions in the energy range from 0.881 V_c to 1.093 V_c and 0.825 V_c to 0.964 V_c, respectively. For ¹⁹⁸Au and ¹⁹⁹Au from the ²³⁸U + ¹⁹⁷Au collisions, for reduced distances of closest approach d _o 1.55 fm, the angular distributions at all bombarding energies are well described by the semiclassical theory. Equivalently, the transfer probabilities show the expected exponential decrease with increasing d _o over many orders of magnitude. For all other transfer products from ²³⁸U + ¹⁹⁷Au collisions, and for all transfer products from ¹⁹⁷Au + ¹⁹⁷Au collisions, markedly reduced cross sections relative to the semiclassical theory are observed for central collisions at all bombarding energies, even for values of d _o that are well outside the region where absorption is known to set in. Only for the more peripheral collisions, one observes agreement of the angular distributions (transfer probabilities) with the semiclassical expectations. The deviations for central collisions are absent for reactions with positive Q _gg values and scale roughly with increasingly negative values of Q _gg, i.e. with increasing Q-value mismatch. Channel coupling is proposed as the relevant mechanism.