Proton radioactivity — spherical and deformed

The proton drip line defines one of the fundamental limits to nuclear stability. Nuclei lying beyond this line are energetically unbound to the emission of a constituent proton from their ground states. For near-spherical nuclei in the region of the drip line between Z=69 (Tm) and Z=81 (T1), proton decay transition rates have been shown to be well reproduced by WKB calculations using spectroscopic factors derived from a low-seniority shell model calculation [2]. Another approach using spectroscopic factors obtained from the independent quasiparticle approximation has also proved successful in this region [3]. These interpretations have allowed the extraction of nuclear structure information from nuclei well beyond the proton drip line.     

New experimental results in proton radioactivity

A review of experimental data obtained recently on proton-radioactive nuclei is presented. The highlights include the observation of fine structure in proton emission, for the decays of ¹³¹Eu, ¹⁴⁵Tm and ¹⁴⁶Tm, and the studies of the excited states in proton-emitting nuclei. The observation limits are extended to few nanobarns cross-sections ( ¹⁴⁰Ho, ¹⁶⁴Ir and ¹³⁰Eu) and few microsecond half-lives (e.g., ¹⁴⁵Tm). Measured decay properties for thirty-nine proton-emitting ground and isomeric states contributed to the understanding of nuclear masses and evolution of single-particle states at and beyond the proton drip line. Experimental results have stimulated new theoretical approaches to proton emission and the structure of unbound narrow resonance states. Received: 21 March 2002 / Accepted: 16 May 2002 / Published online: 31 October 2002 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: rykaczew@phy.ornl.gov     

Shape transitions in proton-rich Ho and Tm isotopes

Total Routhian Surface (TRS) calculations have been performed for even-even nuclei along proton drip line to study nuclear ground-state deformations, as well as the odd proton nuclei Ho and Tm isotopes. The drip line nuclei show the expected shape transition with the shell e?ects. Ground-state shape changes from prolate to oblate at 143Ho and 145Tm in these two isotopes, which is due to the γ instability around N =76.     

Studies with one- and two-proton drip line nuclei

In recent experiments at GANIL, we studied nuclei at the one- and two-proton drip line. The production rates allowed to search for direct 2p emission in the drip line nuclei ⁴²Cr, ⁴⁵Fe, and ⁴⁹Ni. No evidence for this decay mode was found in ⁴²Cr and ⁴⁹Ni, whereas the situation stays unclear for ⁴⁵Fe due to the limited statistics. In the medium-mass region ( A = 50-70), the half-life was measured for all proton-rich nuclei in the range T _z = 0 to T _z = - 1 between Z = 27 and Z = 36. First half-lives were determined for ⁶⁰Ga, ⁶²Ge, ⁶⁴As and ⁶⁶Se. Finally, β-decay studies of the 0⁺ → 0⁺ decay of ⁶²Ga have been performed at IGISOL in Jyv?skyl?. Non-analog transitions have been observed and are compared to theoretical predictions. Received: 21 March 2002 / Accepted: 16 May 2002 / Published online: 31 October 2002 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: blank@cenbg.in2p3.fr     

Partial widths for the decays η:(1295) →γγ and η:(1440) →γγ

We discuss γγ partial widths of pseudoscalar/isoscalar mesons η:(M) in the mass region M∼ 1000–1500 MeV. The transition amplitudes η:(1295) →γγ and η:(1440) →γγ are studied within an assumption that the decaying mesons are the members of the first radial excitation nonet 2¹ S ₀qˉq. The calculations show that partial widths being of the order of 0.1 keV are dominantly due to the nˉn meson component while the contribution of the sˉs component is small. Received: 24 September 1999     

Proton magic even-even isotopes and giant halos of Ca isotopes with relativistic continuum Hartree-Bogoliubov theory

We study the proton magic O, Ca, Ni, Zr, Sn, and Pb isotope chains from the proton drip line to the neutron drip line with the relativistic continuum Hartree-Bogoliubov (RCHB) theory. Particulary, we study in detail the properties of even-even Ca isotopes due to the appearance of giant halos in neutron rich Ca nuclei near the neutron drip line. The RCHB theory is able to reproduce the experimental binding energiesE _b and two neutron separation energiesS _2n very well. The predicted neutron drip line nuclei are²⁸O,⁷²Ca,⁹⁸Ni,¹³⁶Zr,¹⁷⁶Sn, and²⁶⁶Pb. Halo and giant halo properties predicted in Ca isotopes withA>60 are investigated in detail through analysis of two neutron separation energies, nucleon density distributions, single particle energy levels, and the occupation probabilities of energy levels including continuum states. The spin-orbit splitting and the diffuseness of nuclear potential in these Ca isotopes, as well as the neighboring lighter isotopes in the drip line Ca region and find certain possibilities of giant halo nuclei in the Ne−Na−Mg drip line nuclei are also studied.     

Perspectives from above and beyond the proton drip-line

This paper will review the dramatic increase in our knowledge of one and two proton unbound nuclei [1] such as recoil decay tagging [2] are revealing unique insights into the structure of nuclei beyond the proton drip-line. These studies of excited states provide complementary information to proton radioactivity studies, particularly regarding the role of deformation [3]. Radioactive beams are being used to study two-proton unbound resonances and to study explosive nuclear astrophysical reactions in the region of the proton drip-line.     

Rotational bands in 169Re

Based on the systematic investigation of the data available for nuclei with A≥ 40, a Z ^1/3-dependence for the nuclear charge radii is shown to be superior to the generally accepted A ^1/3 law. A delicate scattering of data around R _c/Z ^1/3 is inferred as owing to the isospin effect and a linear dependence of R _c/Z ^1/3 on N/Z (or (N - Z)/2) is found. This inference is well supported by the microscopic Relativistic Continuum Hartree-Bogoliubov (RCHB) calculation conducted for the proton magic Ca, Ni, Zr, Sn and Pb isotopes including the exotic nuclei close to the neutron drip line. With the linear isospin dependence provided by the data and RCHB theory, a new isospin-dependent Z ^1/3 formula for the nuclear charge radii is proposed. Received: 23 September 2001 / Accepted: 21 January 2002     

Nuclear Physics Programs for the Future RIBs Facility in Korea

We present nuclear physics programs based on the planned experiments using rare isotope beams (RIBs) for the future Korean Rare Isotope Beams Accelerator facility(KRIA). This ambitious facility has both an Isotope Separation On Line (ISOL) and fragmentation capability for producing RIBs and accelerating beams of wide range mass of nuclides with energies of a few to hundreds MeV per nucleon. Low energy RIBs at Elab = 5 to 20 MeV per nucleon are for the study of nuclear structure and nuclear astrophysics toward and beyond the drip lines while higher energy RIBs produced by inflight fragmentation with the reaccelerated ions from the ISOL enable to explore the neutron drip lines in intermediate mass regions. The planned programs have goals for investigating internal structures of the exotic nuclei toward and beyond the nucleon drip lines by addressing the following issues: how the shell structure evolves in areas of extreme proton to neutron imbalance; whether the isospin symmetry maintains in isobaric mirror nuclei at and beyond the drip lines; how two-proton radioactivity affects abundances of the elements; what the role of the continuum states including resonant states above protondecay threshold in exotic nuclei is in astrophysical nuclear reaction processes, and how the nuclear reaction rates triggered by unbound proton-rich nuclei make an effect on rapid proton capture processes in a very hot stellar plasma.