Competition between α-decay and β-decay for heavy and superheavy nuclei

In this work, the β-stable region for Z 90 is proposed based on a successful binding energy formula.The calculated β-stable nuclei in the β-stable region are in good agreement with the ones obtained by Mo¨ller et al. The half-lives of the nuclei close to the β-stable region are calculated and the competition between α-decay andβ-decay is systematically investigated. The calculated half-lives and the suggested decay modes are well in line with the experimental results. The decay modes are mostly β--decay above the β-stable region. Especially for Z 111,all the decay modes are β--decay. Regarding the nuclei above the β-stable region, α-decay and β--decay(α+β-)can occur simultaneously when Z 112. This is a very interesting phenomenon. The competition between α-decay and β-decay is very complex and drastic below the β-stable region. The predictions for half-lives and decay modes of the nuclei with Z =107–110 are presented in detail.     

Competition between α-decay and β-decay for heavy andsuperheavy nuclei

In this work, the β-stable region for Z≥90 is proposed based on a successful binding energy formula. The calculated β-stable nuclei in the β-stable region are in good agreement with the ones obtained by Möller et al. The half-lives of the nuclei close to the β-stable region are calculated and the competition between α-decay and β-decay is systematically investigated. The calculated half-lives and the suggested decay modes are well in line with the experimental results. The decay modes are mostly β^--decay above the β-stable region. Especially for Z≤111, all the decay modes are β^--decay. Regarding the nuclei above the β-stable region, α-decay and β^--decay (α+β^-) can occur simultaneously when Z≥112. This is a very interesting phenomenon. The competition between α-decay and β-decay is very complex and drastic below the β-stable region. The predictions for half-lives and decay modes of the nuclei with Z=107-110 are presented in detail.     

Systematical law of β+-decay half-lives of nuclei far from β-stable line

Experimental data of nuclear β⁺-decay half-lives are systematically analyzed and investigated. We present an exponential law between the half-life of β⁺-decay with the same forbiddenness and the nucleon number (Z,N) of parent nucleus far from the β-stable line. A formula with four parameters is proposed to describe the β⁺-decay half-lives of nuclei far from stability. Experimental β⁺-decay half-lives of the first and second forbidden transitions are well reproduced by this simple formula. The physics of the exponential law is related to the statistical properties of β⁺-decay far from β-stable line.     

β-delayed neutron decay of 21N

The β-delayed neutron and γ spectra of neutron-rich nucleus ²¹N using β-γ and β-n coincidence measurements were presented in this paper. Thirteen new neutron groups ranging from 0.28 MeV to 4.98 MeV and with a total branching ratio 88.7±4.2% were observed. One γ transition among the excited states of ²¹O, and four γ transitions among the excited states of ²⁰O were identified in the β decay chain of ²¹N. The ungated half-life of 83.8±2.1 ms was also determined for ²¹N.     

The β Decay of 21N

The β-delayed neutron and γ energy spectra taken from the decay of neutron-rich nucleus ²¹N were measured by using the β-γ and β-n coincidence detection method. Thirteen new neutron groups ranging from 0.28MeV to 4.98MeV and with a total branching ratio of 88.7±4.2% were observed andpresented. One γ transition with an energy of 1222keV emitted from the excited state of ²¹O, and four γ transitions with energies of 1674, 2397, 2780, and 3175keV emitted from the excited states of ²⁰O were identified in the β decay chain of ²¹N. The β decay half-life for ²¹N is determined to be 82.9±1.9ms. The uncertainty of half-life is much smaller than the previous result.     

Simulation of large-scale fast neutron liquid scintillation detector

Neutron background measurement is always very important for dark matter detection due to almost the same effect for the recoiled nucleus scattered off by the incident neutron and dark matter particle. For deep under-ground experiments, the flux of neutron background is so low that large-scale detection is usually necessary. In this paper, by using Geant4, the relationship between detection efficiency and volume is investigated, meanwhile, two geometrical schemes for this detection including a single large-sized detector and arrayed multi-detector are compared under the condition of the same volume. The geometrical parameters of detectors are filtrated and detection efficiencies obtained under the similar background condition of China Jingping Underground Laboratory (CJPL). The results show that for a large-scale Gd-doped liquid scintillation detector, the detection efficiency increases with the size of detector at the beginning and then trends toward a constant. Under the condition of the same length and cross section, the arrayed multi-detector has almost similar detection performance as the single large-sized detector, while too much detector number could cause degeneration of detection performance. Considering engineering factors, such as testing, assembling and production, the 4 × 4 arrayed detector scheme is flexible and more suitable. Furthermore, the conditions for using fast and slow signal coincidence detection and the detectable lower limit of neutron energy are evaluated by simulating the light process.     

Study of neutron activation yields in spallation reaction of 400 MeV/u carbon on a thick lead target

The spallation-neutron yield was studied experimentally by bombarding a thick lead target with 400 MeV/u carbon beam. The data were obtained with the activation analysis method using foils of Au, Mn, Al, Fe and In. The yields of produced isotopes were deduced by analyzing the measured γ spectra of the irradiated foils. According to the isotopes yields, the spatial and energy distributions of the neutron field were discussed. The experimental results were compared with Monte Carlo simulations performed by the GEANT4+FLUKA code.     

Generalization of α-Decay Cluster-Model to Nuclei Near Spherical and Deformed Shell Closures

The cluster model of α-decay is extended to the regions around doubly magic spherical nucleus 208pb and around deformed shell closure 270Hs, respectively. The effects of spherical shell closures (N = 126 and Z = 82) on α-decay are investigated by introducing an N-dependent α-preformation factor and a Z-dependent one inspired by a microscopic model. Good agreement between the theoretical α-decay half-lives and the measured ones is obtained for the spherical nuclei near the doubly magic nucleus 208 Pb, where the nuclear shell effect is included in the expression of α-preformation factor. The cluster model is also generalized for the decay of deformed nuclei. The branching ratios of a-decays from the ground state of a parent nucleus to the ground state (0 ) of its deformed daughter nucleus and to the first excited state (2 ) are .calculated in the framework of the cluster model. The results indicate that a measurement of c spectroscopy is a feasible method to extract the information of nuclear deformation of superheavy nuclei around the deformed nucleus 270 Hs.     

The contribution of the first forbidden transitions to the nuclear β~--decay half-life

β-decay half-life is a key quantity for nuclear structure and nucleosynthesis studies.There exist large uncertainties in the contributions of allowed and forbidden transitions to the total β-decay life,which limits the resolution of the predicted β-decay half-life.We systematically study the contribution of the first forbidden(FF) transitions to the β~--decay half-life,and quantify it with a formula based on simple physics considerations.We also propose a new formula for calculation of the β~--decay half-life that includes the FF contribution.It is shown that the inclusion of the contribution of FF transitions significantly improves the precision of calculations of the β~--decay half-life.By fitting of the RQRPA results for neutron-rich Z=47,57 isotopes and N=80,94 isotones,the formula for the contribution of the FF transitions gives similar results as the RQRPA calculations.However,because of limited experimental data for the branching ratios of unstable nuclei,the fit parameters are not fully constrained.Therefore,the proposed formula for the β~--decay half-life is more suitable for calculations of half-lives than of the FF contributions.The formula could be used to predict the β~--decay half-life in nuclear structure studies as well as nucleosynthesis calculations in stars.     

Benford＇s Law and β-Decay Half-Lives

The experimental values of 2059 β-decay half-lives are systematically analyzed and investigated. We have found that they are in satisfactory agreement with Benford＇s law, which states that the frequency of occurrence of each figure, 1-9, as the first significant digit in a surprisingly large number of different data sets follows a logarithmic distribution favoring the smaller ones. Benford＇s logarithmic distribution of β-deeay half-lives can be explained in terms of Neweomb＇s justification of Benford＇s law and empirical exponential law of β-decay half-lives. Moreover, we test the calculated values of 6721 β-decay half-lives with the aid of Benford＇s law. This indicates that Benford＇s law is useful for theoretical physicists to test their methods for calculating β-decay half-lives.     

An improved α-decay energy formula for heavy and superheavy nuclei

Based on the liquid-drop model and using the first derivative of the normalized Gaussian function to consider the shell correction, a simple α-decay energy formula is proposed for heavy and superheavy nuclei. The values of corresponding adjustable parameters are obtained by fittingα-decay energies of 209 nuclei ranging from Z = 90 to Z = 118 with N ≥ 140. The calculated results are in good agreement with the experimental data. The average and standard deviations between the experimental data and...     

Alpha Decay of the Neutron-deficient Isotopes 215,216U

The most neutron-deficient isotopes 215;216U were produced in the complete-fusion reaction 180W(40Ar, 4-5n)215,216U. Evaporation residues recoiled from the target were separated in-flight from the primary beam by the gas-filled recoil separator SHANS and subsequently identified on the basis of correlated -decay chains. Two -decaying states were identified in 216U, one for the ground state and the other for the isomeric state with 8+(h9=2f7=2) configuration. The -decay properties for 215;216U and the systematics of 8+ isomeric state in N =124,126 isotones were investigated.     

Half-lives of double β~+-decay with two neutrinos

Nuclear doubleβ--decays with two neutrinos were observed for many years and a systematic law describing the relation between their half-lives and decay energies was also proposed recently[Phys Rev C,2014,89:064603].However,doubleβ+-decay(β+β+)with emission of both two positrons and two neutrinos has not been observed up to date.In this article,we perform a systematic analysis on the candidates of doubleβ+-decay,based on the 2012 nuclear mass table.Eight nuclei are found to be the good candidates for doubleβ+-decay and their half-lives are predicted according to the generalization of the systematic law to doubleβ+-decay.As far as we know,there is no theoretical result on doubleβ+-decay of nucleus154Dy and our result is the first prediction on this nucleus.This is also the first complete research on eight doubleβ+-decay candidates based on the available data of nuclear masses.It is expected that the calculated half-lives of doubleβ+-decay in this article will be useful for future experimental search of doubleβ+-decay.     

Study on scattering correction in fast neutron tomography at NECTAR facility

Fast neutron tomography has been established as an inspection and detection tool at the NECTAR facility at the FRM-II reactor.Scattered neutrons from the object become a major disturbance and bring in artifacts and deviations in reconstruction results,especially for hydrogenous material object.In this article,an iterative scattering correction method for fast neutron tomography was proposed.In each loop of iteration the scattering component of the projections will be simulated by Monte-Carlo program MCNPX based on the previous reconstruction result and then it will be subtracted from original projections.The differences between scattering components at different perspectives were quantitatively evaluated and an average scattering component image was used for all projections finally.Smooth and uniform slices with more clear edges were obtained and the new reconstructed attenuation coefficients are quite close to the real one compared to the results without scattering correction,in which case the relative error of the reconstructed attenuation coefficients is about 10%–30%.     

Study of neutron spectra in a water bath from a Pb target irradiated by 250 MeV protons

Spallation neutrons were produced by the irradiation of Pb with 250 MeV protons. The Pb target was surrounded by water which was used to slow down the emitted neutrons. The moderated neutrons in the water bath were measured by using the resonance detectors of Au, Mn and In with a cadmium (Cd) cover. According to the measured activities of the foils, the neutron flux at different resonance energies were deduced and the epithermal neutron spectra were proposed. Corresponding results calculated with the Monte Carlo code MCNPX were compared with the experimental data to check the validity of the code. The comparison showed that the simulation could give a good prediction for the neutron spectra above 50 eV, while the finite thickness of the foils greatly effected the experimental data in low energy. It was also found that the resonance detectors themselves had great impact on the simulated energy spectra.     

Influence of nuclear physics inputs and astrophysical conditions on r-process

The rapid neutron-capture process(r-process) is one of the main mechanisms to explain the origin of heavy elements in the universe. Although the past decades have seen great progress in understanding this process, the related nuclear physics inputs to r-process models include significant uncertainty. In this study, ten nuclear mass models, including macroscopic, macroscopicmicroscopic, and microscopic models, are used to calculate the β-decay rates and neutron-capture rates of the neutron-rich isotopes for the r-process simulations occurring in three classes of astrophysical conditions. The final r-process abundances include uncertainties introduced by the nuclear mass model mainly through the variation of neutron-capture rates, whereas the uncertainties of β-decay rates make a relatively small contribution. The uncertainties in different astrophysical scenarios are also investigated,and are found to be connected to the diverse groups of nuclei produced during nucleosynthesis.     

Enhancement of β^＋-Decay Rate of ^22Na in Metal Pd at Low Temperature

Temperature dependence of nuclear decays in metallic environments is a controversial issue. We measured the temperature dependence of the β^＋-decay half-life of ^22Na implanted into the metal host of palladium. It is found that the β^＋-decay half-life of ^22Na in the metal Pd cooled to T = 15 K is shorter by 0.46（14）% than that at room temperature. The result is consistent in sign with, but dearly smaller than, the estimated one by the Debye model.     

Nuclear mass parabola and its applications

We propose a method for extracting the properties of the isobaric mass parabola based on the total doubleβ-decay energies of isobaric nuclei.Two important parameters of the mass parabola,the location of the most β-stable nuclei Z_A and the curvature parameter b_A,are obtained for 251 A values,based on the total double β-decay energies of nuclei compiled in the AME2016 database.The advantage of this approach is that the pairing energy term P_A caused by the odd-even variation can be removed in the process,as well as the mass excess M(A,Z_A) of the most stable nuclide for the mass number A,which are employed in the mass parabolic fitting method.The Coulomb energy coefficient a_c=0.6910 MeV is determined by the mass difference relation for mirror nuclei,and the symmetry energy coefficient is also studied by the relation a_(sym)(A)=025 b_AZ_A.     

Fully self-consistent calculation ofβ-decay half-lives within Skyrme energy density functional

β-decay half-lives of some magic and semi-magic nuclei have been studied in a fully self-consistent Skyrme Hartree-Fock(HF) plus charge-exchange random phase approximation(RPA).The self-consistency is addressed,in that the same Skyrme energy density functional is adopted in the calculation of ground states and Gamow-Teller excited states.First,the impact of J2 terms on the β-decay half-lives is investigated by using the SGII interaction,revealing a large influence.Subsequently,numerical calculations are performed for the selected nuclei with Skyrme energy density functionals SGII,LNS,SKX,and SAMi.Finally,comparisons to available experimental data and predictions of different theoretical models are discussed.     

Theoretical investigation of the structure of 19N

We have employed the shell model and Skyrme-Hartree-Fock methods to investigate the structure of the neutron-rich nucleus ¹⁹N. The level scheme of ¹⁹N from the shell-model calculation with the WBT interaction is displayed. The potential-energy-surface calculation with the SGII interaction implies that ¹⁹N should be a deformed nucleus. The theoretical β-decay half life of ¹⁹N reproduces well the available experimental data.