In-beam study and structure of the N = 82 nucleus 141Pr

High-spin states in ¹⁴¹Pr have been studied in the reactions ¹³⁹La(α, 2n)¹⁴¹Pr and ¹⁴⁰Ce(d, n)¹⁴¹Pr. Using in-beam spectroscopic methods energies, intensities, excitation functions, γγ coincidences, time and angular distributions and the linear polarization of γ-rays as well as conversion electron spectra were measured. Positive- and negative-parity states of ¹⁴¹Pr have been established for spin values up to $\text{J =}\text{27}\text{2}$ and E_x < 4750 keV including 19 news lvels. For three levels ns-lifetimes were determined. The experimental data on positive-parity states are in remarkable agreement with shell-model predictions. In the case of positive-parity states no evidence for particle-core coupling is found. The shell-model investigation suggests, however, that the negative-parity states in ¹⁴¹Pr as well as in ¹⁴³Pm can be explained by particle-core coupling.     

Half-life measurements in59Co,141Pr and227Ac

The half-lives of the 1291.6 keV level in⁵⁹Co, 145.43 keV level in¹⁴¹Pr and 27.35 keV level in²²⁷Ac have been measured using leading edge and zero-crossover timing techniques. The decay curves analysed by moments, Laplace transform and slope methods gave the following half-life values: $$\begin{gathered} T_{\tfrac{1}{2}} (1291.6 keV level in {}^{59}Co) = (0.538 \pm 0.004) ns \hfill \\ T_{\tfrac{1}{2}} (145.43 keV level in {}^{141}\Pr ) = (1.82 \pm 0.04) ns \hfill \\ T_{\tfrac{1}{2}} (27.35 keV level in {}^{227}Ac) = (41.0 \pm 1.1) ns. \hfill \\ \end{gathered} $$ From the measured half-lives, the reduced transition probabilitiesB(M1)↓,B(E2)↓ for gamma transitions de-exciting the above mentioned levels in⁵⁹Co and¹⁴¹Pr are determined and compared with single particle, intermediate coupling and Sorensen estimates. In²²⁷Ac, absolute transition probability for the 27.35 keV transition is determined and compared with single particle and Nilsson estimates.     

141Pr Mössbauer spectroscopy using the current integrating technique

¹⁴¹Pr Mössbauer spectroscopy has been realized with use of the current integrating technique. As an example, we show the¹⁴¹Pr Mössbauer spectrum of PrCu₂Si₂ at 4.2 K.     

Nuclear structure effect on internal conversion ofl-forbidden transitions in139La,141Pr and203Tl

Accurate experimental internal conversion data have been used to study the effect of nuclear penetration in the case of thel-forbidden transitions in¹³⁹La (165.8 keV),¹⁴¹Pr (145.4 keV) and²⁰³Tl (279.2 keV). The nuclear penetration parameterλ and theE2/M 1 mixing ratioδ ² have been deduced by graphical analysis. Following results were obtained:λ=2.8±1.3,δ ² =(8.4 _?8.4 ^+14.0 )·10^?4 for¹³⁹La,λ=1.2±0.6,δ ²=(4.8±0.5)·10^?3 for¹⁴¹Pr, andλ=6.4±1.1,δ ²=1.36±0.12 for²⁰³Tl.     

Energy levels of136Pm and136Nd via beta decay of136Sm and136Pm

¹³⁶Pm and¹³⁶Nd were studied using theβ decay of¹³⁶Sm and¹³⁶Pm. The radioactive nuclei were produced by the⁹²Mo (⁴⁸Ti,xpyn) and¹¹²Sn (²⁸Si,xpyn) reactions. The UNISOR isotope separator enabled mass identification. The previously unknown level scheme of¹³⁶Pm was constructed and the half-life of¹³⁶Sm was determined to be 47±2 s. Six new levels and thirteen newγ-ray transitions have been added to the level scheme of¹³⁶Nd.     

States inN=80140Nd populated in the decay of140Pm

The level structure of theN=80,¹⁴⁰Nd has been investigated through the beta decay of^140m Pm and^140g Pm, whose decay half-lives were measured to be 5.95±0.05 min and 9.1±0.5 sec, respectively. Decay schemes for the two isomers have been constructed fromγ-ray measurements. With the help of the beta decayft values and internal conversion electron measurements, spins and parities were deduced for levels in¹⁴⁰Nd. Among the levels a 7^? state at 2222.0 keV and a 5^? state at 2273.3 keV are identified as two-neutron quasiparticle states. The (ie233-01) for^140m Pm and^140g Pm have been deduced as 7^? and 1⁺, respectively. From beta end-point measurements, the decay energies of the two isomers have been determined asQ _EC=6.48±0.07 MeV^140m (Pm) andQ _EC=6.08±0.10 MeV (^140gPm). The results are discussed in the light of nuclear systematics of theN=79 and 80 isotones.     

Beta-decay of light rare-earth130, 132Pr and132, 134Pm nuclei

Gamma-ray spectra of neutron-deficient isotopes of^{130, 132}Ce and^{132, 134}Nd have been investigated from the β-decay of^130,132Pr and^132,134Pm new gamma-bands of states were identified and the systematic trends are presented.     

Proton states in143Pm and145Pm populated in the (3He,d) reaction

The (³He,d) reaction on targets of¹⁴²Nd,¹⁴⁴Nd and on a target of natural Nd have been studied, using a beam of 24 MeV³He from the McMaster University Tandem Van de Graaff accelerator. The reaction products were analyzed with an Enge type magnetic spectrograph and recorded on photographic emulsions. Information on thel-values was obtained from the (³He,d) angular distribution. In the¹⁴³Pm nucleus no fragmentation of the shell model strength was found while in the¹⁴⁵Pm nucleus the fragmentation of thed _3/2 ands _1/2 states was significant, giving a total of 11l=2 and 51=0 transitions. The results are analyzed in terms of the spherical shell model and the agreement with pairing theory is excellent in both cases. A survey of the stripping strength to promethium isotopes with mass numbers ranging fromA=143 toA=151 is presented, using normalizations based on the results from the experiments on the target of natural neodymium.     

Decay of the 4.2-min152Pm into levels of152Sm

After bombardments of enriched¹⁵²Sm with 14-MeV neutrons, three isomers of¹²⁵Pm reaction, have been observed with half-lives of 4.2±0.2 min, 7.5±0.2 min and 15.0±1.0 min. Sources of pure 4.2-min¹⁵²Pm were obtained by separating the promethium from its parent 11-min¹⁵²Nd produced by thermal-neutron induced fission of²³⁵U. The beta and gamma radiations of the 4.2-min¹⁵²Pm have been investigated using semiconductor and scintillation spectrometers. Most of theγ-ray transitions could be placed in a level scheme for 152Sm. Especially interesting is a level at 1083 keV for which the assignmentI ^π=0⁺ is proposed. In a 4πβγ experiment, the ground state feeding of¹⁵²Sm in theβ ^?-decay of the 4.2-min¹⁵²Pm has been measured to be 61% of allβ-ray transitions. AQ _β-value of 3.4±0.2 MeV has been obtained.     

High-spin isomeric state in144Pm

A new high-spin isomeric state with a half-life of ≥2μs was found in¹⁴⁴Pm by observing the¹⁴N(¹³⁶Xe,6n)¹⁴⁴Pm reactions. The excitation energy and spin of the isomer were estimated to be ～7.4 MeV and ～27⁺, respectively. Filling gas in a recoil ion separator was used as the target material.     

Beta-Gamma-Winkelkorrelation bei146Pm

A measurement of theβ-γ directional correlationω(W, Θ) of the 3^?(β)2⁺(γ)0⁺ decay of¹⁴⁶Pm is described. Spin and parity of the ground state of¹⁴⁶Pm are found to be 3^?. A set of matrix elementsY=0.94;x=0.20;u=0.20;z=1, which is chosen to fit the experimental results for ω(W, Θ) and which is in agreement with the CVC theory, indicates aK-selection rule effect for the 0,795 MeV beta transition of¹⁴⁶Pm.     

Structure of even-even138Nd from the decay of138Pm

The structure of¹³⁸Nd is investigated through theβ ⁺-decay of¹³⁸Pm, whose decay half-life is measured to be 3.24±0.05 min. A level structure comprising 27 excited states and 52 transitions is constructed. With the help of deducedft values and internal conversion coefficients, spin-parity assignments are made to many states in¹³⁸Nd and to the ground states of¹³⁸Pm. From the positron end-point energy measurement, the total decay energy is determined to be 5.4±0.2 MeV, which is compared with the predictions of several mass formulae and with the decay energy systematics of theN=77 isotones. The structure of¹³⁸Nd is discussed in the light of nuclear systematics of theN=78 isotones.     

Decay of oriented149Nd and levels in theN=88149Pm nucleus

Levels in the¹⁴⁹Pm nucleus populated via¹⁴⁹Nd decay were studied using the low temperature nuclear orientation technique. The parent¹⁴⁹Nd nuclei were oriented in a gadolinium host. The normalized gamma-ray intensities were determined for twenty five transitions in the daughter¹⁴⁹Pm nucleus. The spins of the¹⁴⁹Pm levels at 288.2 and 425.3 keV were determined as 9/2 and 7/2, respectively, and for several other¹⁴⁹Pm levels the previous spin-assignments could be unambiguously confirmed. Substantial new information on multipole mixing ratios of gamma-transitions in¹⁴⁹Pm is presented. Low-energy level spacing in the¹⁴⁹Pm nucleus is found to be in reasonable agreement with recent particle-rotor model calculations including the variable moment of inertia.     

Radioactive decay of 1.7-h149Nd to levels of transitional149Pm

Sources of¹⁴⁹Nd were produced by thermal-neutron irradiation of enriched¹⁴⁸Nd. High resolution Ge(Li) spectrometers were used to collect gamma-ray singles and coincidence spectra in the study of the decay of 1.7-h¹⁴⁹Nd. A total of 214 gamma rays have been assigned to the decay of¹⁴⁹Nd, and 201 of these transitions have been placed in a level scheme of¹⁴⁹Pm involving 42 excited states. Absolute values for the beta-group intensities were determined for transitions to the¹⁴⁹Pm levels, and spin and parity assignments were made for many of the observed states. The experimentally determined level structure of¹⁴⁹Pm was compared with corresponding levels in other odd-mass Pm and Eu nuclides. Interpretations were made in terms of the core-coupling model. Radioactive decay¹⁴⁸Nd(n, γ)¹⁴⁹Nd; measuredE _γ,I _γ,γ-γ coinc.¹⁴⁹Pm deduced levels,J,π. Compton-suppression. Ge(Li) detector. Enriched targets.     

A first-principles study of B2 NiAl alloyed with rare earth element Pr, Pm, Sm, and Eu

The structural, elastic, and electronic properties of NiAl alloyed with rare earth elements Pr, Pm, Sm, and Eu are investigated by using density functional theory (DFT). The study suggests that Pr, Pm, Sm, and Eu are all tend to be substituted for Al site. Ni₈Al₇Pm possesses the largest ductility. Only the hardness and ductility of Ni₈Al₇Eu are enhanced simultaneously. The covalency strength of Ni-Al bond in Ni₈Al₇Pm is higher than that in Ni₈Al₇Eu. The covalency strength of Al-Al bond and that of Ni-Ni bond in Ni₈Al₇Eu are higher than that in Ni₈Al₇Pm. Ni-Pm bond and Ni-Eu bond are covalent, and the covalency strength of Ni-Pm bond is greater. Al-Pm bond and Al-Eu bond show great covalency strength and ionicity, respectively.     

Evaporation residue excitation functions for 35Cl induced reactions of 112, 120Sn and 141Pr

Evaporation residue excitation functions have been measured for ³⁵Cl ions up to 170 MeV (lab) on targets of ^{112, 120}Sn and ¹⁴¹Pr. These values are combined with previously reported fission excitation functions to give fusion excitation functions. Classical analysis of these results yield fusion barriers and fusion radii. Earlier results are confirmed: as the target atomic number increases the required density penetration at the fusion barrier increases. The percentage of the reaction cross section undergoing fusion monotonically decreases as the targets go from ²⁷Al to ¹⁴¹Pr. The nuclear contribution to the fusion barrier deduced from these measurements is compared with several model predictions and is found to be in satisfactory agreement with the models due to Bass and Krappe and Nix.     

Hyperfine structure measurements in the4 I 9/2 ground state of141Pr

Using the atomic beam magnetic resonance method, the five hyperfine structure separations in the 4f ³ 6s ^{2 4}I_9/2 ground state of ₅₉ ¹⁴¹ Pr have been measured. The results are:F F′ E _FF′ ^* /h (MHz) 7 6 6477.913423(17) 6 5 5556.359848 (6) 5 4 4633.023306 (2) 4 3 3708.201146 (5) 3 2 2782.190601(15) From these quantities, the multipole interaction constantsA _k,k=1, 2, 3, 4 between the nucleus and the electron shell have been calculated.A ₄ especially then served to give the following limit for the intrinsic hexadecapole moment: ¦Q ₄₀¦<0.4eb ². Furthermore, theg _J -factors of the⁴ I multiplet have been measured at magnetic fields of 300 Oe. The results are:g _J(⁴ I _9/2)=0.7310371(15)g _J(⁴ I _11/2)=0.9651476(20)g _J(⁴ I _13/2)=1.1063197(40)g _J(⁴ I _15/2)=1.197963 (30) Small corrections due to perturbations by neighbouring fine structure levels are included.     

Measurement of the fast neutron scattering and total cross sections of141Pr

The differential elastic neutron scattering cross sections of¹⁴¹Pr were measured at the incident neutron energies of 1.2, 1.7 and 1.9 MeV in the angular range between 25 and 150 degrees. At 1.7 MeV the differential inelastic neutron scattering cross sections corresponding toQ=?1122 keV, and at 1.9 MeV the ones corresponding toQ=?1122, andQ=?1295 keV were also determined. In a transmission experiment, the total cross section was measured between 0.50 and 2.42 MeV. The total and differential cross sections were calculated using the nuclear optical model. The calculated results were compared with the experimental data.     

Tentative level diagram of146Pm below 1.1 MeV

The level scheme of the doubly odd nucleus¹⁴⁶Pm was investigated by means of in-beam spectroscopy. The¹⁴⁶Nd(p, n) reaction in the 3.5–8 MeV proton energy interval on enriched targets has been used to populate the exited states of¹⁴⁶Pm. High resolutionγ-ray spectra using Ge(Li) and hyperpure Ge detectors and conversion electrons with a mini-orange spectrometer were measured. Withγ-exitation functions andnγ-coincidences usingnγ-discriminated NE231 neutron detectors transitions in¹⁴⁶Pm were identified,γγ-coincidences gave information aboutγ-cascades. With these data a level scheme of 38 levels below 1.1 MeV exitation energy has been deduced including 73 transitions. For 12 transitions experimental conversion coefficients have been evaluated, which agree with the expected values forM1/E2-transitions.