Experimental estimates on radiative strength function of low-energy γ-quanta following even-odd heavy nuclei decay

The applicability of the method of summed amplitudes of coinciding pulses to determine radiative strength functions of heavy nuclei by measuring two-step cascade-ray spectra is discussed. Experiments based on thermal neutron capture in¹³⁶Ba and¹⁸⁰Hf were carried out to test this method. The values obtained for the radiative strength functions of a wide range of primary transitions were compared with the predictions of two modifications of the giant dipole resonance model. Some insight into the characteristics of the-decay of compound-states is provided by analyzing the information obtained on the two-step-decay of a number of nuclei in the mass region 137A187.Authors' thanks are due to Mrs. T.F. Drozdova and Dr. M.A. Ali for their help in the preparation of the English version of this paper.     

Light-particle emission versus evaporation residue formation in collisions of40Ar onnatCa at 30 MeV/u

The closely associated phenomena of preequilibrium emission and evaporation residue formation in fusion-like reactions were studied in central collisions between⁴⁰Ar and^natCa at 30 MeV/u. Heavy reaction products were taken in coincidence with neutrons and light charged particles. The preequilibrium neutron data agree very well with predictions of a quantal phase-space model which, in addition to the mean field, takes two-body collisions properly into account. Preequilibrium emission ends in thermally equilibrated hot nuclei with an average excitation energy of about 6 MeV/u. The combined results show a striking interrelation between the missing mass and light-particle multiplicities: the mass difference between the full compound mass and the observed residues can be explained quantitatively by the emission of only neutrons and light charged particles withZ2 during the entire course of energy dissipation.Supported by the German Bundesministerium für Forschung und Technologie (BMFT) under contract 06 HD 983I     

Mass and charge flow in the reaction 7.1 MeV/u197Au+63Cu

Mass-yield and angular-distribution data are presented for products from the reaction of 7.1 MeV/ ¹⁹⁷Au with⁶³Cu. With help from information derived from the latter, the former are classified into components corresponding to quasielastic transfer (580±80 mb), deep-inelastic transfer plus quasifission (1300±130 mb), fusionfission (195 mb), and sequential fission (195±45 mb). The fusion excitation function calculated with the Dynamic Capture model standard parameter set reproduces our deduced fusion-fission cross section well. Moreover, using this cross section as well as additional published data for the same reaction system, we extract ans-wave fusion-barrier shift (extra push) for this system of 35±7 MeV, which is in good agreement with the systematics derived from other fusion-barrier shifts which have been reported in the literature. Lastly, support is found for the Dissipative Diabatic Dynamics model prediction that dynamically-hindered fusion trajectories are reflected into quasielastic channels.Research supported by the Bundesministerium für Forschung und Technologie under contract number 06 MR 553     

Upper limit for thermal direct photon production in heavy-ion collisions at 60 and 200A·GeV

The production of direct photons has been investigated in reactions ofp and¹⁶O projectiles at 60 and 200A·GeV with C and Au nuclei. Photon and ⁰ spectra have been measured in the pseudorapidity range 1.52.1 for the transverse momentum region 0.4 GeV/cp _T 2.8 GeV/c employing the lead-glass spectrometer SAPHIR. An upper limit of 15% at the 90% confidence level for the direct photon signal relative to the neutral pion production is obtained from the comparison of measured photon spectra with Monte Carlo simulations of the hadronic background based on the reconstructed yield of ⁰ and mesons. Consequences for a possible phase transition to a quark-gluon plasma are discussed.     

Investigations of correlated ρ+ e− emission in heavy-ion collisions near the Coulomb barrier

We present the results obtained from a series of ^+–-coincidence measurements in heavy-ion collisions using the double-Orange-spectrometer at GSI. The collision systems U+U, U+Pb, and U+Ta were investigated at bombarding energies close to and slightly above (U+Ta) the Coulomb barrier. For all systems studied, very narrow (FWHM–20 keV) ^+– lines were observed in the sum-energy spectra, with kinetic energies ranging from 555 keV to 810 keV, superimposed on a continuous distribution mainly due to uncorrelated ^+– emission. Particularly in the U+Ta system, a pronounced sum-energy line appears at 634 keV, predominantly in deep-inelastic collisions. In some cases (e.g. U+Pb) the line characteristics is consistent with a two-body decay mode of an emitter which moves with the c.m. velocity of the colliding ions. However, other lines, and in particular the 634 keV line (U+Ta), exhibit a rather isotropical opening-angle distribution whereas their energy is unequally shared between positrons and electrons, thus being in clear disagreement with this scenario. In general, the data preclude an emission from the separated (moving) nuclei, and, in the latter cases, provide evidence that the e⁺e^–-pair decay occurs in the vicinity of the Coulomb field of a third heavy (positively charged) partner having only a small transverse velocity (|v|<>Dedicated to Prof. B. Povh on the occasion of his 60th birthday     

Ground-state properties of neutron-deficient platinum isotopes

The hyperfine structure splitting and the isotope shift in the =266 nm transition of Pt isotopes within the mass range 183 A 198 have been determined by Resonance Ionization Mass Spectroscopy (RIMS) in combination with Pulsed-Laser Induced Desorption (PLID). The Pt isotopes were obtained at the on-line isotope separator ISOLDE-3/CERN as daugthers of the primarily produced Hg isotopes. Magnetic moments, quadrupole moments, and changes in the mean-square charge radii are deduced and compared with results of a particle-triaxial rotor model and mean field calculations. Good agreement with experimental data (including nuclear level schemes and transition probabilities) can only be obtained if triaxial shape is admitted. The calculations yield a smooth transition in the shape of odd-A Pt nuclei from a slightly deformed, nearly oblate¹⁹⁵Pt via triaxial^197-187Pt to a strongly deformed nearly prolate¹⁷⁷Pt.Dedicated to P. Armbruster on the occasion of his 60th birthday     

Maximum excitation energy in fusion-evaporation reactions from light particle multiplicity measurements in32S+58Ni at 25 MeV/A

By using two 4 detector systems for charged particles and neutrons, we measured the evaporated light particles emitted in coincidence with evaporation residues (ER) produced in the reaction³²S+⁵⁸Ni atE(³²S) 820 MeV. From the analysis of the light particle multiplicities as a function of the ER velocity, we extracted the maximum excitation energy reached in fusion evaporation reactions for the studied system.Supported by the European Community Programme Human Capital and Mobility     

Valence change of europium in the Eu(Ir1−x Pd x )2Si2 silicides

Eu(Ir_1–x Pd _x )₂Si₂ solid solutions which exist only for 0x0.125 and 0.75x1 crystallize in the tetragonal ThCr₂Si₂-type structure. X-ray diffraction data, magnetic susceptibility and¹⁵¹Eu Mössbauer measurements suggest that these compounds can be characterized as homogeneous mixed valence systems. At room temperature and for 0x0.125, the europium valence decreases asx increases. For 0.75x1, a sharp continuous valence transition from Eu²⁺ to Eu³⁺ occurs near 48 K, 54 K and 78 K forx=0.75, 0.81 and 0.94 respectively. These valence changes are discussed in relation with the Eu–(Ir, Pd) interatomic distance.     

Proton spin-lattice relaxation times in ytterbium hydrides

The measurements of the proton (NMR) spinlattice relaxation times have been made in a series of ytterbium hydrides, YbH _x . Results are reported forx=1.80, 1.95, 2.00 and 2.62 and temperatures 4.2T297K. In the orthorhombic phase (1.80x2.00), the spin-lattice relaxation times are dominated by the hyperfine interaction of protons with conduction electrons and the spin diffusion mechanism. In the cubic phase (x=2.62), the relaxation times are five orders of magnitude shorter than in the orthorhombic one. This is interpreted in terms of the proton coupling with the Yb³⁺ ion spin fluctuations.     

Alignment ofH(2P) after beam-foil excitation

The alignment of foil-excited hydrogen was determined by measuring the polarization of Ly- radiation in the particle energy region 23E190 keV. A change of sign at 45 keV is observed.     

Fast helium production in interactions of 3.7 A GeV <Superscript>24</Superscript>Mg with emulsion nuclei

We have studied the properties of the relativistic helium fragments emitted from the projectile in the interactions of ²⁴Mg ions accelerated at an energy of 3.7 A GeV with emulsion nuclei. The total, partial nuclear cross-sections and production rates of helium fragmentation channels in relativistic nucleus-nucleus collisions and their dependence on the mass and energy of the incident projectile nucleus are investigated. The yields of multiple helium projectile fragments disrupted from the interactions of ²⁴Mg projectile nuclei with hydrogen H, light CNO and heavy AgBr groups of target emulsion nuclei are discussed and they indicate that the breakup mechanism of the projectile seems to be independent of the target mass. Limiting fragmentation behavior of fast-moving helium fragments is observed in both the projectile and target nuclei. The multiplicity distributions of helium projectile fragments emitted in the interactions of ²⁴Mg projectile nuclei with the different target nuclei of the emulsion are well described by the KNO scaling presentation. The mean multiplicities of the different charged secondary particles, normally defined shower, grey and black ( n_s, n_g and n_b) emitted in the interactions of 3.7 A GeV ²⁴Mg with the different groups of emulsion nuclei at different ranges of projectile fragments are decreasing when the number of He fragments stripped from projectile increases. These values of n_i ( i = s, g, b and h particles) in the events where the emission of fast helium fragments were accompanied by heavy fragments having Z 3 seem to be constant as the He multiplicity increases, and exhibit a behavior independent of the He multiplicity.     

Aspects of nucleon Compton scattering

We consider the spin-averaged nucleon forward Compton scattering amplitude in heavy baryon chiral perturbation theory including all terms to order . The chiral prediction for the spin-averaged forward Compton scattering amplitude is in good agreement with the data for photon energies110 MeV. We also evaluate the nucleon electric and magnetic Compton polarizabilities to this order and discuss the uncertainties of the various counter terms entering the chiral expansion of these quantities.     

Measurement of the refractive index and optical absorption spectra of epitaxial bismuth substituted yttrium iron garnet films at uv to near-ir wavelengths

Refractive-index and optical-absorption spectra of Bi-substituted yttrium iron garnet films, epitaxially grown by liquid-phase epitaxy, have been measured in the spectral regime 0.26 m1.9 m by thin-film interference for 0.52 m and by ellipsometry for0.52 m. The Y_3–x–y Bi _x Pb _y Fe_5–z Pt _z O₁₂ films contain bismuth in the range Ox 1.42, lead in the range 0.01 y0.08 and platinum in the range 0.005<=z0.03. There is satisfactory coincidence between the results from ellipsometry and thin-film interference in the overlapping wavelength region. The materials investigated are the same as reported earlier from this laboratory in ter mof their magnetic and magnetooptic properties.     

Magnetic properties of Nd3+ in Nd−Ba−Cu−O-compounds

Neutron diffraction, neutron spectroscopy and magnetization measurements have been employed to study the structural, electronic, and magnetic behavior of eleven compounds with the general formula Nd_1+y Ca _v Ba_2–y–v Cu₃O _x (0y0.5; 0v0.25; 6x7). The structure turned out to react to oxygen reduction similar as other 123-compounds, yielding discontinuities close to the metal-insulator-transition and the well-known relations of bond lengths as a function ofT _c. The crystalline electric field (CEF) interaction, splitting the 10-fold degenerate ground-state J-multiplet of the Nd³⁺-ions into five doublet states, was investigated by neutron spectroscopy. The derived CEF parameters have been used to determine changes in the electronic surroundings of the Nd³⁺ ions. In addition, with the help of the CEF parameters the thermodynamic magnetic properties of these compounds were calculated which turn out to be in good agreement with the experimental data.     

Pre-equilibrium γ-ray emission in dissipative heavy-ion collisions

-rays are measured in coincidence with the dissipative complex fragments from the³⁵Cl +⁶⁴Ni reaction at 7.7 A MeV. Theoretical -ray coincidence spectra are determined through a fitting procedure using the contribution of the excited fragment statistical -decay calculated by means of the CASCADE code. Whereas the expected statistical spectra fit very well the data in the energy regionE =2 to 8 MeV, above this energy another emission mechanism in addition to the statistical decay has to be considered in order to reproduce the experimental spectra. Simulations based on the Vlasov equation suggest that this emission could come from the decay of dipole strength excited in the intermediate dinuclear system.The authors are greatly indebted with A. Boiano, A. Buccheri, M. Cipriano, F. Pagano and R. Rocco for their assistance during the set up of the experimental apparatus. Dr. J. Girard and the technical staff of the CEA/DAPNIA-DPhN are acknowledged for the valuable operation of the accelerator.     

Properties of RF sputtered ZnxCd1−xS thin films

Zn _x Cd_1–x S thin films (0x0.20) were prepared using rf sputtering in argon atmosphere and characterized using X-ray diffraction, optical transmission, electrical resistivity and photoconductive decay measurements. The films were found to possess hexagonal structure. The crystallite size and degree of preferential orientation were found to decrease with the increase ofx and to improve upon annealing in vacuum at 250 °C. The transmission edge shifted towards shorter wavelengths with the increase ofx in agreement with the expected shift in the energy band gap. The films were found to exhibit room temperature resistivity in the range 100–1000 cm. The obtained values of long wavelength transmission (70–80%) and minority carrier diffusion length (30 m) are high enough for the application of these films in the field of solar cells.     

Isotonic and isobaric dependencies of nuclear charge radii for rare-earth nuclei

Isotonic and isobaric dependencies of nuclear charge radii in the region between Z=54 and Z=70 are obtained from the analysis of isotope shift data r² and muonic and electron scattering data on r². They are compared with the predictions of the droplet model and the Hartree-Fock calculations. The isobaric dependencies of r² have proven to be especially sensitive to the choice of an effective nucleon-nucleon interaction.     

Coulomb corrections to Delbrück scattering

The emission of high-energy-rays in the deexcitation of hot⁴⁰Ca and³⁹K nuclei formed in heavy-ion fusion reactions at excitation energyE _x 90 MeV has been studied. The high energy-rays were measured in coincidence with evaporation residues or light charged particles. The spectrum from the self-conjugated compound nucleus⁴⁰Ca shows an appreciable yield suppression in the Giant Dipole Resonance (GDR) energy region with respect to the³⁹K, due to isospin selection rules in the dipole-decay. The spectral line shapes of the spectra are well reproduced by using a statistical code which treats explicitly the isospin quantum number in evaluating level densities and transmission coefficients. The GDR parameters determined from the present coincidence measurements are in good agreement with the systematic in theA 40 mass region at lower bombarding energy based on the analysis of inclusive spectra.We thank M. Caldogno for technical support in the development of evaporation residues detectors. We acknowledge the participation of M. Anghinolfi, P. Corvisiero, M. Taiuti and A. Zucchiatti in the early stages of this work. Thanks are due to M. Kicinska-Habior for providing the isospin-dependent code. Discussions with B. Fornal are also gratefully acknowledged.     

Implementation of comparative probability by normal states. Infinite dimensional case

Let be an infinite dimensional Hilbert space and () the set of all (orthogonal) projections on . A comparative probability on () is a linear preorder on () such thatOP1,1O and such that ifP┴R,Q┴R, thenPQP+RQ+R for allP, Q, R in (). We give a sufficient and necessary condition for to be implemented in a canonical way by a normal state onB(), the bounded linear operators on .     

The new element 111

In an experiment carried out to identify element 110, we have observed an-decay chain, that can be unambiguously assigned to²⁶⁹110. In a scries of preexperiments the excitation functions of the fusion reactions⁵⁰Ti +²⁰⁸Pb²⁵⁸104^* and⁵⁸Fe +²⁰⁸Pb²⁶⁶108^* were measured with high precision in order to get the optimum projectile energies for the production of these heavy elements. The cross-section maxima of the 1n evaporation channels were observed at excitation energies of 15.6 MeV and 13.4 MeV, respectively. These data result in an optimum excitation energy of 12.3 MeV of the compound nucleus for the production of²⁶⁹110 in the reaction⁶²Ni +²⁰⁸Pb²⁶⁹110 + 1n. In irradiations at the corresponding beam energy of 311 MeV we have observed a decay chain of 4 subsequent a decays. This can be assigned to the isotope with the mass number 269 of the element 110 on the basis of delayed - coincidences. The accurately measured decay data of the daughter isotopes of the elements 108 to 102, obtained in the previous experiments, were used. The isotope²⁶⁹110 decays with a hair-life of (270 _-120 ⁺¹³⁰⁰ ) s by emission of (11.132±0.020) MeV alpha particles. The production cross-section is (3.3 _-2.7 ^+6.2 ) pb.