Proton excitations in 44Ca

A comparison of the results of the ⁴⁰Ar(⁶Li, d)⁴⁴Ca reaction with previous results for ⁴²Ca(t, p)⁴⁴Ca is used to investigate core-excited 0⁺ states in ⁴⁴Ca.     

Shell effects in the evolution of the mass asymmetry in heavy-ion collisions leading to composite systems withZ=108

Fragment mass distributions are presented obtained in the heavy-ion reactions²²Ne+²⁴⁹Cf,³²S+²³⁸U,⁴⁰Ar+²³²Th and⁵⁶Fe+²⁰⁸Pb leading to composite systems with equal nuclear charge numberZ=108. The experiments were performed at the heavy-ion cyclotron U 300 of the Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions in Dubna. The spectrometer DEMAS was used to measure the time-of-flight values and the laboratory angles of the correlated fragments. The shape of the mass distributions strongly depends on the initial mass asymmetry. When decreasing the bombarding energy down to values near the Coulomb barrier, the mass distributions obtained in the reactions³²S+²³⁸U and⁴⁰Ar+²³²Th exhibit relative maxima ofM≈205 interpreted to be due to stabilizing effects of nuclear shells during the fragmentation process.     

Weak coupling in the upper part of thesd-shell and α-clustering in38Ar

It is suggested that weak coupling picture for theα-cluster states holds not only in the⁴⁴Ti～⁴⁰Ca region but also in the upper part of thesd-shell region. To confirm this experimentally, theα-clustering aspects of³⁸Ar is investigated.     

Large contribution of deep inelastic processes to reactions of40Ar and48Ca with238U

Differential recoil range distributions have been measured for heavy-reaction products ranging from Te(Z=52) to quasielastic transfer products near the charge and mass of the targets for the reactions of 276 MeV⁴⁸Ca+²³⁸U, 237MeV and 250 MeV⁴⁰Ar+²³⁸U, and 259 MeV⁴⁰Ar+¹⁹⁷Au. The measured recoil range distributions for the⁴⁰Ar+¹⁹⁷Au reaction agree with range distributions calculated from the known projectile-like fragment angular distributions for this reaction. The angular distributions of recoil products formed in the uranium target reactions are deduced and show that the products in the₇₅Re to₈₃Bi region have backward peaked angular distributions characteristic of deep inelastic reactions. The heavy product angular distributions smoothly vary from a (1/sinθ) shape to an exponential shaped backward peak as the atomic number of the product increases from 52 to 83. The trend in the deduced angular distributions for those elements for which recoil range distributions were determined in the⁴⁰Ar+¹⁹⁷Au reaction and the 250 MeV⁴⁰Ar+²³⁸U reaction is similar, suggesting that just as for the Ar+Au system the composite system for the uranium target reaction is also not fully equilibrated along the mass asymmetry coordinate. These conclusions show that the fraction of the total reaction cross section resulting in complete fusion must be re-evaluated for the⁴⁰Ar+²³⁸U reaction and similar heavy-target reactions.     

Analysis of the evaporation-corrected mass and charge distributions in the Ar+Mo reactions

Partly and strongly damped fragments from the reactions³⁶Ar+⁹²Mo and⁴⁰Ar+¹⁰⁰Mo are measured atE _Lab=270 MeV. The extracted mass and charge distributions are carefully corrected forγ, n, p andα particle evaporation. The resulting primary distributions are analysed with theoretical models which assume statistical neutron and proton exchange on the potential energy surface of the projectile-target system. Dynamical-deformation effects in the framework of the surface friction model are included.     

Investigation of the deep interior of the α-nucleus interaction around A = 40

A model-independent analysis of elastic α-particle scattering from ⁴⁰Ca between 22 and 142 MeV, and from ^36,40Ar, ^42,44,48Ca at 29 MeV is presented. The energy and mass dependence of the extracted optical potentials is discussed.     

Probing the nuclear potential by a semiclassical analysis of the elastic scattering of 40Ar + 60Ni, 120Sn and 208Pb at 44 MeV/u

By analysing recent elastic scattering data of 44 MeV/u ⁴⁰Ar on ⁶⁰Ni, ¹²⁰Sn and ²⁰⁸Pb we demonstrate the validity of a semiclassical approximation using complex trajectories in this new energy range. Contrary to an analysis with a quantal code the use of trajectories gives direct information about the sensitivity range of the nuclear potential by looking at the turning point of the most deeply penetrating trajectory.     

Accurate mass measurements of very short-lived nuclei

Mass measurements of ³⁴Ar, ^73-78Kr, and ^74,76Rb were performed with the Penning-trap mass spectrometer ISOLTRAP. Very accurate Q _EC-values are needed for the investigations of the t-value of 0⁺ → 0⁺ nuclear β-decays used to test the standard model predictions for weak interactions. The necessary accuracy on the Q _EC-value requires the mass of mother and daughter nuclei to be measured with δm/m ⩽ 3 ^. 10^-8. For most of the measured nuclides presented here this has been reached. The ³⁴Ar mass has been measured with a relative accuracy of 1.1 ^. 10^-8. The Q _EC-value of the ³⁴Ar 0⁺ → 0⁺ decay can now be determined with an uncertainty of about 0.01%. Furthermore, ⁷⁴Rb is the shortest-lived nuclide ever investigated in a Penning trap. Received: 21 March 2002 / Accepted: 16 May 2002 / Published online: 31 October 2002 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: frank.herfurth@cern.ch     

The mass and low-lying levels of 40Cl

The mass excess of the T_z = 3 nucleus ⁴⁰Cl has been determined using the ⁴⁰Ar(⁷Li, ⁷Be)⁴⁰Cl reaction. A value ?27.527 ± 0.035 MeV was obtained. A number of excited states of ⁴⁰Cl were a1so observed. In addition, the ⁴⁰Ar(¹¹B, ¹¹C)⁴⁰Cl and ⁴⁰Ar(¹¹B, ¹³N)³⁸S reactions were investigated. Excited states of ³⁸S were observed at 1.28 ± 0.04 and 3.38 ± 0.10 MeV.     

Yrast excitations in 191Pb

The excitation energy sharing between the two partners of binary dissipative collisions was derived for the ⁴⁰Ar + ^natAg system at 27 and 44 MeV/u. From the eventual equilibration of energy between the two partners, and their separation time obtained from Landau-Vlasov simulations, the energy relaxation time was extracted, and compared with theoretical predictions.     

High-intensity Si cluster ion emission from a silicon target bombarded with large Ar cluster ions

Secondary ions emitted from Si targets were measured with a quadrupole mass spectrometer under large Ar cluster and monomer ion bombardment. Incident ion beams with energies from 7.5 to 25 keV were used and the mean size of the Ar cluster ion was about 1000 atoms/cluster. Si_n⁺ ions with n values up to n = 8 were detected under Ar cluster ion bombardment, whereas Si cluster ions were scarcely detected under Ar monomer ion bombardment. These cluster ion yields showed the power law dependence on the cluster size.     

Thermal neutron induced charged particle reactions in radioactive targets of37Ar,109Cd,125Xe,127Xe,and132Cs

Thermal neutron induced charged particle reactions in a radioactive target of³⁷Ar have been studied. Upper limits of the cross-sections for the (n, α) reaction in radioactive targets of¹⁰⁹Cd,^{125, 127}Xe, and¹³²Cs have been obtained. The isotopically pure targets were produced at the ISOLDE facility at CERN and irradiated with thermal neutrons at the high flux reactor of the Institute Laue-Langevin in Grenoble. Charged particles from (n, p) and (n, α) reactions in³⁷Ar were observed with cross-sections of 69±14b and 1970 ±330b, respectively. TheQ-values for these reactions were determined to be 1600 ±12 keV and 4630±7 keV, in agreement with existing mass data. The branching ratio Γ_α/Γ_p of the³⁷Ar capturing state was found to be 28.5±2.7. An upper limit of the cross-section for the (n, γα) reaction in³⁷Ar was obtained.     

The Inverse Problem of Argon Diffusion from Minerals: Determination of Kinetic Parameters from Stepwise-Heating Experiments

Abstract

Results of two routine ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar stepwise heating experiments on a biotite and a basanite are interpreted in terms of Fick's and Arrhenius' laws. Both patterns represent a saddle-shaped ³⁹Ar release. Argon isotope spectra are suggested to be controlled by the activation energy of diffusion E and the frequency factor D_o . The activation energy of ³⁹Ar is lower than the one of ⁴⁰Ar. This results in a preferable release of ⁴⁰Ar relatively to ³⁹Ar at high-temperature steps and an increasing high-temperature wing in the saddle-shaped age spectrum. At low temperatures, considerable losses and irregularities in release of mainly ³⁹Ar are observed, which cause the decreasing low-temperature wing in the “saddle”. The suggestion of argon losses (mainly of ³⁹Ar) from a loose, “unstable” zone of the mineral structures becomes justified. The n-irradiation of the samples and the shift of E of ³⁹Ar towards lower values seems to explain the saddle-shaped age-spectra often encountered in ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar-geochronometry.     

Interactions of relativistic heavy ions in thick heavy element targets and some unresolved problems

Interactions of relativistic heavy ions with total energies above 30 GeV in thick Cu and Pb targets (≥ 2 cm) have been studied with various techniques. Radiochemical irradiation experiments using thick Cu targets, both in a compact form or as diluted “2π-Cu targets” have been carried out with several relativistic heavy ions, such as 44 GeV ¹²C (JINR, Dubna, Russia) and 72 GeV ⁴⁰Ar (LBL, Berkeley, USA). Neutron measuring experiments using thick targets irradiated with various relativistic heavy ions up to 44 GeV ¹²C have been performed at the JINR. In addition, the number of “black prongs” in nuclear interactions (due to protons with energies less than 30 MeV and emitted from the target-like interaction partner at rest) produced with 72 GeV ²²Ne ions in nuclear emulsion plates has been measured in the first nuclear interaction of the primary ²²Ne ion and in the following second nuclear interaction of the secondary heavy (Z > 1) ion. Some essential results have been obtained. (1) Spallation products produced by relativistic secondary fragments in interactions ([44 GeV ¹²C or 72 GeV ⁴⁰Ar] + Cu) within thick copper yield fewer products close to the target and many more products far away from the target as compared to primary beam interactions. This applies also to secondary particles emitted into large angles (Θ > 10°). (2) The neutron production of 44 GeV ¹²C within thick Cu and Pb targets is beyond the estimated yield as based on experiments with 12 GeV ¹²C. These rather independent experimental results cannot be understood within well-accepted nuclear reaction models. They appear to present unresolved problems. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

On the peripheral nature of the target fragmentation phenomena

The mechanism of target fragmentation phenomena is explored in a statistical model. It is shown that peripheral interaction arising out of large impact parameter can describe the mass yield distribution of the products from the fragmentation of⁶³Cu by the bombardment ofp,¹²C and⁴⁰Ar with energies of 28, 25 and 80 GeV respectively. Important insights into the dynamics is obtained from these reactions as the target remaining the same, the projectile mass varies by forty units and the incident energy per nucleon by fourteen units. Surface properties of the target and projectile are shown to play an important role. Other features like limiting fragmentation and projectile dependence are also borne out in this study.     

The influence of the fission barrier on the mass distribution in reactions with symmetric fragmentation

The mass distributions of reaction products with symmetric fragmentation resulting from the bombardment of¹⁴⁴Sm,¹⁶⁵Ho,¹⁷⁵Lu,¹⁷⁶Hf,¹⁸¹Ta, and²⁰⁸Pb with⁴⁰Ar projectiles have been studied. The incident energies were chosen to populate nearly the same angular momentum range of the composite system while the nuclear temperature varies only weakly. The reaction products were identified by their energy and time of flight using a solid state detector placed at 60°. The width of the mass distribution was found to increase by nearly a factor of two as the liquid drop fission barrier of the different compound nuclei decreases from 11 to 2.2 MeV. For all systems, the survival of evaporation residues proves that compound fission contributes to the observed symmetric reaction component.     

Asymmetric mass distribution from the fusion-fission reaction40Ar+243Am

The mass distributions and total c.m. kinetic energies of fission fragments formed in the reaction⁴⁰Ar+²⁴³Am at bombarding energies of 214, 222, 240 and 300 MeV have been measured using the angular correlation method. Angular distributions and anisotropy for 222 and 300 MeV have also been obtained. A symmetric mass distribution corresponding to the decay of a highly excited compound nucleus was obtained at 300 MeV bombarding energy. However, with decreasing bombarding energy the fission fragment mass distribution becomes asymmetric, the most probable heavy fragment mass being about 200–210 amu.     

A possible mechanism in heavy ion induced reactions: “Fast fission process”

The influence of the orbital angular momentuml on the mass distribution of fission fragments is studied, both on previously available data on heavy ion induced fission and in new specifically planned experiments: systems⁴⁰Ar+¹⁶⁵Ho and²⁴Mg+¹⁸¹Ta at bombarding energies ranging from 180 up to 391 MeV and leading to the same fissioning nucleus²⁰⁵At with differentl distributions. Whenl values corresponding to a vanished fission barrier are reached, the mass distribution broadens. This suggest the existence of a specific process, “fast fission”, atl-values intermediate betweenl-values leading to compound nucleus formation and deep inelastic collisions, respectively. This process and its conditions of occurence are discussed; of special interest are the correlated differences between the limitations to the fusion cross-section and the fission mass distributions broadenings, respectively, for the Ar+Ho and Mg+Ta systems.