New results in the decay of150Ho and152Tm

A new isotope¹⁵²Tm (T _1/2=5.2±0.6 s) and a new isomeric state in¹⁵⁰Ho (T _1/2=88±15 s) were observed with the on-line isotope separator ISOCELE II at Orsay. The decay of¹⁵²Tm is similar to the one of the high spin state (9⁺) in¹⁵⁰Ho. The new¹⁵⁰Ho isomer, probably with a low spin (2 or 3), decays mainly to the 2⁺ level in¹⁵⁰Dy.     

Low-spin states in151Gd

The level structure of the 87-neutron nucleus¹⁵¹Gd has been investigated by studying the EC- andβ ⁺-decay of¹⁵¹Tb. Gamma-ray and conversion electron spectra as well as gamma-gamma coincidence spectra were measured by using semiconductor spectrometers and a high-capacity two-parameter recording system. The proposed decay scheme contains several new energy levels in¹⁵¹Gd, among them a 5^?/2 state at 427 keV. To explain the low-energy level structure, a small stable deformation is assumed for¹⁵¹Gd. Using a single-particle-plus-rotor model based on a generalized Woods-Saxon potential, complete mixing of the shells 1h _9/2, 2f _7/2 and separately 1i _13/2 is observed. By these mixings the correct level order and approximately correct excitation energies up to 1 MeV are reproduced.     

Level structure of170Er observed in the decay of the 2.76 min170Ho

TheΒ ^?-decay of the longer-lived¹⁷⁰Ho isomer produced through the¹⁷⁰Er(n, p)¹⁷⁰Ho reaction has been investigated by using a versastile detector and coincidence equipment. The half-life andΒ ^?-decay energy were determined to beT _1/2=2.76±0.05 min andQ _β =3.85±0.15 MeV, respectively. In addition to the ground state band and some higher energy levels, the proposed level scheme of¹⁷⁰Er contains 11 states between 1.0 and 1.6 MeV (6 new ones), which are connected mutually by previously unknown low-energy transitions. Spin and/or parity assignments based mainly on coincidence data and multipolarity determinations are suggested for most of these states. By using systematic considerations and the nuclear projection model calculations several bands withK≧2 can be assigned tentatively. As a side result the half-life of¹⁶⁹Ho was determined to be 4.7 ±0.2 min.     

High spin levels in141Sm

Excited states of¹⁴¹Sm up to spin I=63/2 have been identified by means of the reaction¹¹⁶Cd(²⁹)Si,4n at 128 MeV bombarding energy. The high spin level structure is discussed in terms of the coupling of a, h_11/2 -neutron hole to the N=80 core states. The importance of the πh_11/2)² contribution is stressed.     

States of167Ho from the decay of neutron rich nuclide167Dy

Theβ ^?-decay of ₆₆ ¹⁶⁷ Dy produced through the fast neutron reaction¹⁷⁰Er(n, α)¹⁶⁷Dy has been investigated by using several kinds of detectors and a high-capacity two-parameter recording system. The half-life andβ ^?-decay energy of¹⁶⁷Dy were determined to beT _1/2 = 6.20 ± 0.08min andQ _β-=2.35±0.06, respectively. The observed level scheme of ₆₇ ¹⁶⁷ Ho (completely unknown previously) contains 12 states, among them a 6.0±0.1 μsM2 isomer at 259.3 keV. On the basis of theoretical and systematic considerations combined with multipole determinations, the following Nilsson model assignments are proposed for the lowest states of¹⁶⁷Ho: 0 keV (7?/2 [523]), 259.3 keV (3+/2[411]), 319.8 keV (5/2 3+/2[411]), 392.5 keV (1+/2[411]), 410.0 keV (3/2 1+/2[411]), 569.7 keV (3?/2{7?/2[523], 2⁺}). Theβ-decay proceeds mainly to the proposed gamma-vibrational state at 569.7 keV with an anomalously low logft value 5.4, indicating similarity between the microscopic structures of this state and the famous ¦K ₀?2¦ gamma vibration of¹⁶⁵Ho.     

Decay of 8.0-day131I to levels of131Xe and 11.77-day131mXe

The decay characteristics of¹³¹I have been determined with high accuracy. The total branch from¹³¹I to^131mXe has been measured to be 1.086±0.007%. The half life of^131mXe has been measured as 11.770±0.012 days. Theγ-ray spectrum has been determined and new transitions at 85.92, 232.17, 295.83, 302.44, and 449.57 keV established. The position, spin and parity were established for a 9/2^? level at 341.140 keV and spin and parity of 7/2^? established for a level at 666.921 keV. The log f₁t for the unique firstforbiddenβ transition from 7/2^{+ 131}I to 11/2^{? 131m}Xe has been calculated to be 9.78.     

New isomeric states in the stable nucleus 185Re

High-spin states in ¹⁸⁵Re have been studied using the ¹⁷⁶Yb(¹³C,p3n) reaction at 65 MeV. Levels up to spin (37/2) h? at E _x = 4.799 MeV have been identified. Among them two levels were observed with half-lives of 6 ± 2 ns and 123 ± 23 ns.     

ESR study of Fe3+ and Mn2+ ions on trigonal sites in ilmenite structure MgTiO3

Electron spin resonance has been observed for Fe³⁺ and Mn²⁺ ions occupying sites with trigonal symmetry in undoped and doped Verneuil-grown crystals of the ilmenite type compound MgTiO₃. At 300 K, the fine structure parameters in the spin Hamiltonian are (in 10^?4cm^?1) D = +844 (± 1), (a? F) = +118 (± 1), a = 69 (± 7) for Fe³⁺ and D = +164 (± 1), (a ? F) = +10.2 (± l), a = 7.0 (± 1) for Mn²⁺. These values are compared with literature data for Fe³⁺ and Mn²⁺ in other oxides, especially Al₂o₃, with particular reference to the recent “superposition” theory of the effect of a trigonal distortion. From the orientation of the axes of cubic pseudosymmetry of the spin Hamiltonian, and with the assumption that a has the same sign for both ions, it is proposed that Fe³⁺ and Mn²⁺ occupy the same octahedral site, namely the Mg²⁺ site. Anomalous line splittings observed for one sample were attributed to twinning on (0001) or {1120} planes.     

Level structure of 68 149 Er81 and high-spin isomerism in proton-richN=81, 82, 83 nuclei

The level structure of theN=81 nucleus¹⁴⁹Er has been studied by γ-ray spectroscopy following the reaction⁹²Mo+255 MeV⁶⁰Ni. Yrast levels in¹⁴⁹Er are established up to ~3.3 MeV, including 0.61 and 4.8 μs isomeric states. Most of the observed levels are interpreted as seniority-three states arising from the coupling of s_1/2, d_3/2 and h_11/2 neutron holes with πh ₁₁ ^2/n . Isomers identified in the reaction⁹⁶Ru+255 MeV⁵⁸Ni are tentatively assigned to¹⁵¹Yb. TheB (E2) values of high-spin isomers inZ=66?70,N=81?83 nuclei are surveyed.     

Band crossing in184Pt

The levels in the ground band of¹⁸⁴Pt are identified up to the member with spin 20 in an in-beam spectroscopy experiment on theγ-rays following the¹⁷⁷Hf(¹²C, 5n)¹⁸⁴Pt reaction. In contrast to the situation in the heavier Pt isotopes, where the 10⁺ to 12⁺ level spacing is very small, the transition energies in¹⁸⁴Pt show a monotonie increase with spin. However, between spin 10⁺ and 14⁺ the moment of inertia grows quite rapidly and this appears to be reminiscent of the much more pronounced irregularity encountered in the isotopes of larger mass. This property of the moment of inertia is discussed within a model where twoi _13/2 neutron quasiparticles or twoh _9/2 orh _11/2 proton quasiparticles may be excited and coupled to the rotation of the core.     

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.     

Der Zerfall des125m Xe,des127m Xe und des127g Xe

The decay of^125m Xe produced by the reaction¹²²Te(α, n)^125m Xe using a target enriched in¹²²Te (95.4%) and the decay of^127m Xe produced by the reaction¹²⁷J(d, 2n)^127m Xe have been investigated: ^125m Xe decays with a half-life ofT _1/2=(56±3) sec by ayy- cascade withE _γ1=(140.4 ±0.5) keV andE _γ2=(110.5 ±0.5) keV. The experimental conversion coefficients yield multipolarities ofE3 for the 140.4 keV isomeric transition and predominantlyM1 for the 110.5 keV-transition. ^127m Xe decays with a half-life ofT _1/2=(71±2) sec. The decay also proceeds by aγγ-cascade with an isomeric E3 transition ofE _γ1=(172.5±0.3) keV and a predominantlyM1 transition ofE _γ2=(124.6±0.3) keV. In the decay of^127g Xe an additional branching of the electron capture to a level at (618.1±0.3) keV was observed. The relative probability forK-captureP _K618/P_K375=0.40 ±0.07 yields a total transition energyQ _EC=(664 ±4)keV. A spin of 1/2⁺ was assigned to the ground state.     

Two proton high-spin excitations and dipole bands in192Hg

The¹⁹²Hg nucleus was populated in the¹⁶⁰Gd(³⁶S, 4n) reaction at a beam energy of E=159 MeV. Emittedγ-rays were detected with the EUROGAM array comprising 43 Compton-suppressed large volume Ge detectors. The level scheme of¹⁹²Hg has been extended up to an excitation energy of E=10.4 MeV and spin I=34 ?. Two new structures, made of competing ΔI=1 and ΔI=2 transitions have been observed and their connexions with the low-lying levels established. Their lowest levels are located at 6.304 MeV and 6.879 MeV excitation energy. The experimental results are compared with mean-field HF+BCS calculations. It is proposed that the new structures originate from deformation-aligned quasi-proton excitations π(i_13/2 * h_9/2)_K=11 andπ (h_9/2) _K=8 ² , coupled to rotation-aligned quasi-neutron ν(i_13/2)ⁿ and quasi-proton π(h_11/2)² excitations.     

The nuclear structure of 151Pm in the low excitation region < 1 MeV

The level scheme of ¹⁵¹Pm populated by the β-decay of 12 min ¹⁵¹Nd has been studied using Ge(Li) detectors as singles and coincidence γ-ray spectrometers. Most of the new γ-rays have been included in a partial level scheme of ¹⁵¹Pm involving four new levels. Angular correlation measurements on the 170.752–255.678 keV and 170.752–138.882 keV cascades have been made with the result A₂ = 0.088±0.005 and ?0.02 – +0.05, respectively. A PAC measurement on the 170.752–255.678 keV cascade has yielded the g-factor of the 255.676 keV level as g = 1.18 ±0.16. A Nilsson-model calculation including Coriolis coupling has been made and the experimental level energies have been well reproduced by the Nilsson orbitais [413]↓, [411]↑, [420]↑, [532]↑, [541]↑ and [550]↑. Theoretical transition rates, E2/M1 mixing ratios, branching ratios and g-factors are in good agreement with experimental values.     

Neutronh 11/2 alignments in the triaxial nucleus133La

High spin states have been studied in¹³³La via the¹²²Sn (¹⁵N, 4ny) fusion evaporation reaction. Bands build on low lying h_11/2,g_7/2 and d_5/2 proton states have been identified. At higher spin a h_11/2 neutron alignment is observed. The softness with respect to the triaxial deformation makes the nuclear shape sensitive to the quasiparticle configurations and coexistence between states withy ≈ + 30°,y ≈ ? 30° andy ≦ ? 60° was found. The results have been interpreted using total routhian surface (TRS) model calculations.     

Die Konversion des86mRb

^86mRb was produced by irradiation of natural Rb and Rb enriched in⁸⁷Rb (99.2%) with fast neutrons. The half-life ofT _1/2=(61.2±1.0) sec and the energy ofE _ρ=(556.03±0.25) keV were remeasured. The experimental conversion coefficients α_tot=0.0184±0.0015 andα _K =0.0158±0.0015 yield the multipolarity of E4 for the isomeric transition. The spin of 6^? was assigned to the isomeric state. It is proposed that the spin 6^? is formed by coupling ap _3/2-proton and ag _9/2-neutron according to Nordheim's “weak” rule.     

The β-decay of98Y and the level scheme of98Zr

Study of theβ-decay of⁹⁸Y and of the level scheme of⁹⁸Zr was undertaken by the use of the two recoil fission product separators JOSEF and LOHENGRIN. Twoβ-decay modes have been detected for⁹⁸Y, the half-lives of which are 0.65±0.05 s and 2.0±0.2 s. The spins and parities of the two states which undergoβ-decay are proposed to be 1⁺ and 4^?, respectively, with the configurations (π1g _9/2)(ν1g _7/2) and (π2p _1/2 (ν1g _7/2). The measuredQ _β -value is 7300±400 keV for the 0.65 s decay. The level scheme of⁹⁸Zr was deduced fromγ,γ-coincidence data. Absoluteγ-intensities were obtained from two independent measurements. The half-life of the first excited state of⁹⁸Zr at 853.0 keV with spin and parity 0⁺ was determined through delayedγ, e^?-measurements to be 63 ±7ns. No indication of the coexistence of two different nuclear shapes of⁹⁸Zr was found.     

Interaction of 80 MeV12C with88Sr; Neutron transfer,inelastic scattering and spin alignment of the 2+ State of12C

Level structure of¹⁰²Cd has been studied via both¹⁰²In decay and nuclear reactions. Using⁹²Mo+¹⁴N at 86 MeV, the nucleus¹⁰²In was identified and its decay (T _1/2=24 ±4s) studied with the aid of on-line mass separation techniques. Levels of¹⁰²Cd were also populated with⁹²Mo+¹²C at 50 MeV and¹⁰²Pd+³He at 35 MeV reactions and investigated by means of standard in-beam techniques. A level scheme including states up to 4.5 MeV excitation energy is proposed and then discussed in the frame of available calculations.     

Two-quasiparticle bands in126Ba

High spin states of¹²⁶Ba have been populated via the¹¹⁶Sn (¹³C, 3n) reaction and were investigated by inbeam gamma-ray spectroscopy. Partially NaJ (Tl)-BGO anti-compton shields were used. Two positive parity band crossings were established. The yrast band was observed up to a tentative 18⁺ level. The gamma-bands and two band structures of negative parity were found. In addition a tentative 3^? state has been seen. Two-quasiparticle Routhians are constructed from the one-quasiparticle Routhians of the bands in the odd neighbouring isotopes and isotones and are compared to the ones observed in¹²⁶Ba. This leads to ah _11/2 g _7/2-neutron structure of the strongly coupled negative parity bands and a two-quasiproton structure of the decoupled bands of negative parity. The branching and mixing ratios for the neutron bands are analyzed.     

High spin states in121Te

High spin states of¹²¹Te, populated in the¹¹⁴Cd(¹¹B,p3n) reaction, have been studied throughγ-ray spectroscopy. The level scheme has been established up toJ ^π=51/2^?. Three-quasiparticle states, based on the πg _7/2 ²?νh _11/2 andπg _7/2 d _5/2?νh _11/2 configurations, have been identified. A favoured 39/2^? state is suggested to be the fully aligned [πg _7/2 ²]₆₊?[νh _11/2 ³ _27/2? yrast non-collective oblate configuration. This assignment is supported by Total Routhian Surface (TRS) calculations which also suggest a similar oblate assignment to the states atJ ^π=21/2^? and 23/2^?. A higher 47/2^? state is also found and is suggested to be the fully aligned [πg _7/2 ²]₆₊?[νh _11/2 ⁵]_35/2? configuration.