New results in the decay of150Ho and152Tm

A new isotope¹⁵²Tm (T _1/2=5.2±0.6 s) and a new isomeric state in¹⁵⁰Ho (T _1/2=88±15 s) were observed with the on-line isotope separator ISOCELE II at Orsay. The decay of¹⁵²Tm is similar to the one of the high spin state (9⁺) in¹⁵⁰Ho. The new¹⁵⁰Ho isomer, probably with a low spin (2 or 3), decays mainly to the 2⁺ level in¹⁵⁰Dy.     

Properties of the 69 150 Tm81 6− β-decaying isomer

Decay experiments for¹⁴⁸Ho 6^? and¹⁵⁰Tm 6^? were carried out at the GSI On-line mass separator using 5 MeV/A⁵⁸Ni-beams on⁹⁴Mo and⁹⁶Ru targets. Gammaγ-andγX-coincidences established the¹⁵⁰Tm 6^? decay scheme, and e^? gave firm I ^π assignments for¹⁴⁸Dy and¹⁵⁰Er levels fed in the decays. It was found that the previously unknown 6 ₁ ^? state in¹⁵⁰Er receives significantβ-strength, which strongly suggestsπh _11/2 νs ₁ ^2/?1 character for the¹⁵⁰Tm 6^? isomer. The results are discussed in terms of the expected GT strength function. Shell model calculations for theπh ₁₁ ^2/4 yrast states are presented.     

High-spin states in154Er

High-spin states in¹⁵⁴Er have been populated by bombarding¹⁴⁷Sm and¹⁴⁸Sm with¹²C particles. Excitation functions, lifetimes, angular distributions andγ-γ coincidences were measured. AT _1/2=35ns isomeric state atE _x～3 MeV has been found and is interpreted as a two-quasi-particle state with aligned angular momenta. A cascade of intense individual lines from states with spin up to at least 26 (excitation energy up to 8.543 MeV) was found to feed the isomeric state. The level sequence above this yrast trap exhibits an irregular pattern which cannot be easily interpreted in terms of collective modes.     

Protonh 2 11/2 and octupole excitations in148 66Dy82 and149 66Dy83

The yrast states of¹⁴⁸Dy and¹⁴⁹Dy have been studied by γ-ray and conversion electron measurements in (α, xn) and (¹⁶O,xn) reactions on enriched¹⁵²Gd and¹³⁵Ce targets. Level schemes to above 4 MeV for the two nuclei are reported. The πh ² _11/2 spectrum identified in¹⁴⁸Dy and the πh _11/2 effective chargee _eff=1.52±0.05e, derived from the measuredE2 transition rate between the (πh ² _11/2) 10⁺ and 8⁺ states, are discussed and compared with results for other two-particle nuclei. The yrast cascades in¹⁴⁸Dy and¹⁴⁹Dy continue above the (πh ² _11/2) 10⁺ and πh ² _11/2 vf _7/2) 27/2^? states by ～ 1 MeVE1 transitions de-exciting the lowest members of octupole multiplets built on these states. The energy shifts for the observed members of the πh ² _11/2 × 3^? multiplet are analyzed in terms of twoparticle-phonon exchange coupling using an empirical coupling strength extracted from the one valence particle nucleus¹⁴⁷Tb. The dominantvf _7/2×3^? character of low-lying 13/2⁺ isomers in¹⁴⁹Dy and otherN=83 nuclei is emphasized.     

On the level scheme of the159Tm nucleus

Level in¹⁵⁹Tm have been excited in the¹⁵⁰Sm(¹⁴N,5n reaction. The yrast band 7/2^?[523] observed up to spin 45/2^? is built on a isomeric state at 166 keV (T _1/2=37±5ns). Connections between the 7/2^?[523] and 7/2⁺ [404] bands fix the band-head energies.     

Lifetimes of unresolved transitions from very high spin states in nuclei nearN=82

Average lifetimes of unresolved transitions deexciting very high spin states populated in²⁸Si(^{136, 129}Xe,xn)^164? x, 157?xEr reactions have been determined by a Doppler shift attenuation method. We find that the yrast bump region between 1.0 and 1.6 MeV contains a majority of strongly collectiveE2 transitions with very short lifetimes (a few tens of fsec) in the well deformed nuclei around¹⁵⁹Er and, with less certainty, almost comparably short lifetimes in the more spherical nuclei around¹⁵²Er. In the high energy region of 2.0–3.2 MeV we observe transitions which depopulate longer lived states in the nuclei nearN=82 than in the well deformed systems.     

First observation of yrast band in odd-odd162Lu

High spin states of the odd-odd¹⁶²Lu nucleus have been studied via¹⁴⁷Sm(¹⁹F,4nγ)¹⁶²Lu reaction at 95 MeV beam energy. Level scheme for yrast band based onπ[h_11/2 v[i_13/2] quasiparticle configuration was established up to I ^π = (23^?) for the first time. This band shows the signature inversion in energy before backbending generally appeared in this mass region. It is stressed that the signature splitting in¹⁶²Lu is larger than that in the¹⁶⁰Tm nucleus.     

High spin isomers in151Dy+

Three yrast isomers in¹⁵¹Dy, at 6.03 MeV (I=49/2, T/=15(3) ns), 4.90 MeV (41/2^?, 5.5(1.0) ns), and at 2.96 MeV(27/2^?, 1.3(6) ns) have been located through¹⁵²Gd(α,5n) and¹³⁶Ce(¹⁸O, 3n) measurements. Shell model configurations are suggested for them.     

Competition between few nucleon emission andγ-ray deexcitation for the reaction systems65Cu+87Rb and40Ar+110Pd

Bothγ-ray and neutron emission have been studied for the reaction systems⁶⁵Cu(237MeV) +⁸⁷Rb→¹⁵²Dy^* and⁴⁰Ar(158MeV)+¹¹⁰Pd→¹⁵⁰Gd^*. By using a sum spectrometer in coincidence with neutron counters, Ge(Li) or Nal detectors, we have measured the totalγ-ray energy and the average totalγ-multiplicity distributions as well as the neutron spectra for various exit channels. These measurements provide strong evidence for thermal equilibrium in reactions involving a small number of emitted neutrons (i.e.⁸⁷Rb(⁶⁵Cu,n or 2n)) at rather high excitation energy (～54MeV). This statistical emission of only a few neutrons is controlled by very strong y-ray competition: theγ-entry line is found not to be parallel to the yrast line. Instead the energy gap is about 8MeV for J～27? and rises to at least 13MeV for J～36?. There are some indications that the main part of the energy from this gap is removed by statisticalγ-ray cascades. The main features of the experimental data for both entrance channels are well reproduced by statistical model calculations with proper attention to the yrast line position and an adjustement of the dipoleγ-ray normalization coefficient. It is conceivable that the y-ray enhancement that we introduce may be related to a lack of knowledge of the absolute level densities at high energy and spin, or possibly to the presence of new or additional degrees of freedom that may enter into the competition between neutron andγ-ray emission.     

Multi-quasiparticle excitations in145Tb

High-spin states in¹⁴⁵Tb have been populated using the¹¹⁸Sn (³²S, 1p4n) reaction at beam energy of 165 MeV. The level scheme of¹⁴⁵Tb has been established up toEx≈7.4 MeV. The level scheme shows characteristics of a spherical or slightly oblate nucleus. Based on the systematic trends of the level structure in the neighboringN=80 isotones, the level structure in¹⁴⁵Tb below 2 MeV excitation is well eplained by coupling anh _11/2 valence proton to the even-even¹⁴⁴Gd core. Above 2 MeV excitation, most of the yrast levels are interpreted with multi-quasiparticle shell-model configurations.     

Complete scissors mode strength in heavy deformed odd-mass nuclei: a case study of 165Ho and 169Tm

The low-energy dipole strength distributions in ¹⁶⁵Ho and ¹⁶⁹Tm have been studied in nuclear resonance fluorescence experiments at the S-DALINAC utilizing a Euroball Cluster detector. In the energy interval between 2.5 and 4.0 MeV, where the scissors mode is expected, 35 ground state transitions could be observed in ¹⁶⁵Ho and 53 in ¹⁶⁹Tm. Assuming M1 character for all these transitions corresponds to ΣB(M1) ↑= 1.54(23), μ_N² and ΣB(M1) ↑= 2.15(63), μ_N² for ¹⁶⁵Ho and ¹⁶⁹Tm, respectively. A statistical analysis is applied to the measured spectra which is capable of reconstructing the complete strength, including contributions of transitions below the observation limit, with the ratio between M1 and E1 excitations and their total strengths taken as an average over the even-mass neighbours. This results in summed M1 transition strengths of ΣB(M1) ↑= 3.54_−0.95^+0.75, μ_N² (¹⁶⁵Ho) and ΣB(M1) ↑= 3.36_−0.57^+1.00μ_N² (¹⁶⁹Tm). The large variations of the summed dipole strength and the fragmentation in other deformed odd-mass nuclei can be reproduced by the same statistical ansatz. The total low-lying M1 strength in heavy deformed odd-mass nuclei is in agreement with the findings in the neighbouring even-mass nuclides as well as with sum-rule predictions.     

Fluorescence studies of the Er ↔ Ho and Er ↔ Tm energy transfer in erbium aluminum garnet

We have studied the flourescence characteristics of Ho³⁺ and Tm³⁺ in ErAlG:Ho, Tm and investigated the Er ? Ho and Er ? Tm energy transfer present in this system. In the infrared, the crystal ErAlG:Ho, Tm presents three groups of sharp lines (centered at ～18 000, ～19 300, and ～21 000 Å), whose intensities are strongly temperature-dependent. The first two groups are attributable to the Tm ³H₄ → ³H₆ transition, while the third group represents the Ho ⁵I₇ → ⁵I₈ transition. In YAlG:Er (50%), Ho(2%), only the Ho emission centered at ～21 000 Å is observed in the infrared. Under pulsed excitation, the emissions at ～17 900, ～19 000, and ～21 000 Å in ErAlG:Ho, Tm present a double exponential decay; the time dependences of the decays of the first two emissions are essentially the same; however, the 19 000 and 21 000 Å emissions present different decay patterns. In YAlG:Er (50%), Ho (2%), on the other hand, the decay of the 21 000 Å emission is purely exponential at all temperatures studied. The above results for ErAlG:Ho, Tm are explained by means of a rate-equation model in which the Ho → Er and Tm → Er transfer are treated as activation-type processes which effect a coupling between (1) the Ho and Tm ions, and (2) the Ho or Tm ions and quenching impurities.     

Theπ h 11 2/3 spectrum in the three valence proton nucleus 67 149 Ho82

A πh ₁₁ ^2/3 level spectrum and other lowlying yrast states in¹⁴⁹Ho have been identified in reactions of 155–180 MeV³²S with¹²¹Sb and¹²²Te targets. The results agree well with shell model predictions.     

Spectroscopy of excited states in212Po,210Pb,and213At employing18O induced few-nucleon transfer reactions

γ-ray spectroscopic techniques have been applied to measure properties of excited states (E ^*<2MeV) in²¹⁰Pb,²¹²Po, and²¹³At after populating these neutron rich (N=128) nuclei via¹⁸O induced few-nucleon transfer reactions on²⁰⁸Pb and²⁰⁹Bi targets. In²¹²Po an isomeric state is located atE ^*=1,477 keV with a halflife oft _1/2=14.7±0.3 ns. This state is interpreted to be the 8⁺ yrast level which decays to the ground state via the measured $$8^ + \left( {121.1 keV} \right)6^ + \left( {223.3 keV} \right)4^ + \left( {405.1 keV} \right)2^ + \left( {727.8 keV} \right)0^ + $$ γ-cascade.α-decay (E _α≈10.2 MeV) of the isomer is also observed. In²¹⁰Pb the time spectra for members of the 4⁺ (297.8keV) 2⁺ (799.4keV)0⁺ γ-cascade show a delayed component with a halflife oft _1/2=152±13 ns which is attributed to the known 8⁺ yrast state atE ^*=1.27 MeV. For²¹³At first results on theγ-decay of excited states are presented.     

High spin levels in151Ho

We report here on the first study of the level structure of¹⁵¹Ho. High spin levels in¹⁵¹Ho have been populated in the¹⁴¹Pr+¹⁶O and¹⁴⁴Sm+¹²C reactions. The level structure has been established up to 6.6 MeV energy and the spins and parities determined up to 49/2^?. Most of the proposed level configurations can be explained by the coupling ofh _11/2 protons tof _7/2 and/orh _9/2 neutrons. An isomer with 14±3 ns half-life and a delayed gamma multiplicity equal to 17±2 has been found. Its spin is larger than 57/2? units.     

States in86Sr,84Sr and87Y populated in the (p,t) reaction

The (p,t) reactions on⁸⁸Sr,⁸⁴Sr and⁸⁹Y have been carried out at a bombarding energy of 49.5 MeV. Some low-lying excitations in⁸⁶Sr and⁸⁴Sr associated with configurations of 1g _9/2 and 2p _1/2 neutrons have been identified. Levels populated to 4 MeV of excitation in the strontium nuclei and to 2.5 MeV in⁸⁷Y have been studied in the present experiment. In the case of⁸⁷Y most of the levels populated are of a complex nature.     

High spin states in153Er

High spin states in¹⁵³Er have been populated in the¹⁴⁴Sm(¹²C, 3n)¹³³Er reaction. Excitation functions, lifetimes, angular distributions,γ-γ coincidences and internal conversion coefficients were measured. Three isomeric states at 2.75 MeV (T _1/2=400 ns), 2.95 MeV (T _1/2～10 ns) and 5.2 MeV (T _1/2=200 ns) have been observed. A fourth isomer seems to be weakly excited above 6.8 MeV. The level scheme proposed is discussed in term of the nuclear shell model.     

A new method to test virtual photon spectra

Millisecond isomers in¹⁴⁶Tb,¹⁴⁸Ho and¹⁵⁰Tm, observed in⁶⁰Ni reactions on³⁹Y,⁹⁰Zr, and⁹²Mo targets, are interpreted as (πh_11/2 vh_11/2 ^?1) 10⁺ isomers predicted by the shell model. Their decays are characterized.     

Interaction strength and shape difference for the h9/2 and h11/2 configurations in163Tm

The strongly shape driving πh_9/2[541]l/2^? configuration with α=+1/2 exhibits some anomalous, and so far unexplained, features concerning the crossing frequency, ?ω_c, the aligned angular momentum, i_x, and interaction strength, at the alignment of the first pair of i_13/2 quasineutrons in several odd-Z rare earth-nuclei. The h_9/2[541]1/2^? and h_11/2[523]7/2^? bands have been studied in the stably deformed rare-earth nucleus¹⁶³Tm to investigate these features. A difference in band crossing frequency of ～ 80 keV between the two bands is found. Rotational bands built on these two configurations have been found to cross in the spin range I=25/2–29/2 ?. Theγ-decay pattern between the two bands is established in the crossing region and analysed in terms of a moderate shape difference between them. A theoretical estimate of the size of the interaction strength between the two bands is presented and compared to the experimental value. The observed band structure in¹⁶³Tm is very similar to that of¹⁶⁷Lu which has 2 protons and 2 neutrons in addition. This observation is discussed in relation to the similarity of the yrast bands of the two even-even “core” nuclei¹⁶²Er and¹⁶⁶Yb, for which theγ-transition energies are identical within ～0.2 keV below the vi_13/2 crossing.     

E2 transition probabilities in the decoupled band of the 129La nucleus

Lifetimes of the yrast levels with spins I ^π = 23/2^? to 39/2^? in ¹²⁹La produced via the ¹²⁰Sn(¹⁴N, 5n) reaction at a beam energy of 77MeV have been measured by the Doppler shift attenuation method. The properties of the studied levels belonging to the πh_11/2 band were compared with the theoretical predictions obtained in the framework of the core quasi-particle coupling model. It is suggested that the rigid-rotor model used to describe the cores is too simplified as the even-even nuclei from the A ～ 130 region are susceptible to shape deformation. Reasonable agreement was obtained with the phenomenological cores based on the experimental data of ¹²⁸Ba.