Transition rates and sequential decay of excited nuclei

We present two possible sequential decay mechanisms which correspond either to an inverse fusion process (detailed balance) or to a generalised fission process (transition state theory). We compare the corresponding transition rates and try to understand the implications of these two different choices on the behaviour of mass and charge multiplicities. Deviations from percolation calculation predictions and the experiment are also analysed.     

Isospin effects upon the decay of highly excited nuclear states

It is proposed that T_< states which strongly mix with analog states to give states of mixed isospin results in the enhancement of the probability of proton decay from highly excited nuclear states. Such considerations are shown to explain the anomalies observed in the ($\text{p, n}\text{p}$) reactions.     

A microscopic approximation for sequential decay processes in light nuclear systems

An approximative treatment for sequential decay processes is presented which uses the cluster model reaction formalism. In the case of a dominating sequential decay mechanism, the break-up amplitude is decomposed in two factors which can be obtained from two-particle reaction calculations. This factorization is essentially based on the same idea as the Watson-Migdal formalism. The method is applied to the α + d →⁵He + p → α + n + p break-up. The results are in good agreement with recent experimental data.     

The decay of the18O giant dipole resonance to excited residual nuclear states

The decay of the¹⁸O GDR to excited residual nuclear states has been examined by measuring spectra of prompt deexcitationγ-rays. The target was irradiated by bremsstrahlung with endpoint energies of 23.5 and 28 MeV. “Bremsstrahlung-weighted” integrated cross sections are given for the population of the residual nuclear states in¹⁷O,¹⁷N,¹⁶O and¹⁴C. Proton decay to excited states in¹⁷N is remarkably weak. It seems that 1p _3/2 excitations play only a minor role in the¹⁸O GDR.     

Spontaneous decay of an excited atom placed near a rectangular plate

Using the Born expansion of the Green tensor, we consider the spontaneous decay rate of an excited atom placed in the vicinity of a rectangular plate. We discuss the limitations of the commonly used simplifying assumption that the plate extends to infinity in the lateral directions and examine the effects of the atomic dipole moment orientation, atomic position, and plate boundary and thickness on the atomic decay rate. In particular, it is shown that due to the plate finite size, the spontaneous decay may be inhibited even when the atom is situated very close to the surface, and that in the boundary region, the spontaneous decay rate can be strongly modified.     

Fission and decay of excited nuclei

The statistical theory of the decay of excited nuclei including the competition between particle emission and fission is considered. Fission barriers are given by a phenomenological formula which is an analog of the known Cameron formula and approximates well experimental data on nuclei up to transuranic elements. The contribution of shell corrections and odd-even effects is discussed. The calculated ratios of evaporation and fission widths Γ_n/Γ_f agree with experiment even in the region of nuclei with Z > 90. The $\text{Γ}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>n</mtext>}}\text{Γ}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>f</mtext>}}$ values depend weakly on excitation energy for nuclei with Z ≈ 90, While in other regions this dependence proves rather strong. The last conclusion does not contradict known experimental data since in experiments one usually measures some effective value $\text{〈}\text{Γ}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>n</mtext>}}\text{Γ}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>f</mtext>}}\text{〉}$, which is only indirectly related to the real $\text{Γ}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>n</mtext>}}\text{Γ}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>f</mtext>}}$, values. It is shown that the calculated values of $\text{〈}\text{Γ}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>n</mtext>}}\text{Γ}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>f</mtext>}}\text{〉}$ depend on excitation energy either. The effects of angular momentum and uncertainty in the choice of level density parameter are discussed.     

Suppression of coherent population trapping upon spontaneous decay of an excited state

The interaction of a model three-level Λ system with electromagnetic radiation is considered under the conditions where a coherence (an off-diagonal matrix element) between lower sublevels arises upon spontaneous decay of an excited state. The cases of bichromatic and incoherent broadband fields are analyzed. It is shown that the occurrence of coherence may significantly change the character of evolution of the system under study with time. These changes are most pronounced for broadband fields. Some features of this phenomenon are considered for multilevel atomic systems.     

Selective population and neutron decay of an excited state of 23O

We have observed a resonance in neutron-fragment coincidence measurements that is presumably the first excited state of 23O at 2.8(1) MeV excitation energy which decays into the ground state of 22O. This interpretation is consistent with theory. The reaction mechanism supports the assignment of the observed state as the 5/2+ hole state. This assignment and the recently observed 3/2+ particle state advance the understanding of 23O.     

Effects of the hyperfine interactions on the decay of the collective nuclear excited states in α-hematite

In this paper the time dependence of the coherent decay of nuclear excited state in an α-⁵⁷Fe₂O₃ single crystal is presented. The experiment was carried out in diffraction geometry. A highly monochromatized and collimated beam of synchrotron radiation was used for the excitation of nuclear levels. Quantum beat spectra taken below and above the (7, 7, 7) pure nucleation reflection of hemative show a characteristic pattern corresponding to the magnetic an quadrupole hyperfine interactions. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC02-76CH00016.     

Two-neutrino double beta decay to excited states

Both doubleβ ⁻ and doubleβ ⁺/EC decay transitions to excited final states in the two-neutrino mode are discussed, their gross properties reviewed and a compilation of recent calculations presented. A brief presentation of the involved nuclear models is given. The close connection between the single and double beta decays is discussed. Presented at Workshop on calculation of double-beta-decay matrix elements (MEDEX’97), Prague, May 27–31, 1997.     

Photon vacuum renormalization and spontaneous decay of an excited atom near a carbon nanotube

A theory of the spontaneous decay process of an excited atom placed inside or outside (near the surface) of a carbon nanotube has been developed. Numerical calculations of the atomic spontaneous decay enhancement factor have been performed for various achiral nanotubes. The effect of the nanotube surface has been demonstrated to dramatically increase the spontaneous decay rate—by 6–7 orders of magnitude—compared with that of the same atom in a vacuum. Such an increase is associated with nonradiative decay via surface excitations in the nanotube. Possible applications of the predicted effect are discussed.     

Microstructure of excited nuclear states in the vicinity of an yrast line

The microscopic model describing the wobbling motion in fast rotating nuclei is presented and the connection of the parameters describing it with the Coriolis effects at low spins is discussed.     

The decay dynamics of a slab of two-level atoms excited by an ultrashort resonant pulse

The decay dynamics of a slab of two-level atoms excited by an ultrashort resonant pulse are analyzed by means of the eigenmodes determined by the interaction of the resonance with the slab geometry. The node structure in the spatio-temporal excited atom distribution and the forward-backward asymmetry are identified with the decays of individual modes and with interference between adjacent modes.     

Baryon decay of excited states of 1P-shell hypernuclei

The baryon decays of hypernuclear resonances with the configurations s_⃛p⁻¹, p_⃛p⁻¹, and s_⃛s⁻¹ are analyzed within the framework of a translationally invariant shell model. Particular attention is paid to the influence of the nuclear structure on the decay probabilities in different channels. Joint Institute of Nuclear Research, Dubna. Institute of Nuclear Physics, Czech, Republic, Rzhezh. Institute of Nuclear Research, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 10, pp. 35–51, October, 1997.     

Baryon number violating nuclear decay

The expressions for baryon number violating nuclear partial decay widths are derived from the interactions as predicted by grand unified theories. Theory predicts that the baryon number violating proton decay inside the nucleus is hindered relative to the free proton decay rate. In the case of closed shell nuclei, the meson spin-isospin dependence of the partial width is the same as that for the nucleon decay. The branching ratios of decay amplitudes depend on the nuclear binding energies. Nuclear structure introduces lepton energy spread of ±49.5 MeV for light closed shell nuclei, while it does not affect the back to back emission of lepton-meson pair.     

Quantum interferences in nuclear decay

At nuclear level mixing condition, interferences between different transition amplitudes can occur. In a narrow frequency range, absorption can be hindered while not the emission. This feature offers interesting applications on the design of a graser and of a resonant scatterer for -rays.     

Comment on the hadronic decay of excited heavy quarkonia

We make comments on [1], and provide partial wave analysis to the decays of excited heavy S-wave quarkonia into the basic quarkonia state plus . It is revealed that there exist contributions of D-wave transition in , and by using the data-fitting results in [1]. A possible experimental method to measure the D-wave directly is discussed. Received: 14 May 1998 / Published online: 21 September 1998