Triggering the <Superscript>178<Emphasis Type="Italic">m</Emphasis>2</Superscript>Hf isomer via resonance conversion

Experiments on photoinduced deexcitation of ^178m2Hf are reanalyzed. A mechanismof triggering the 12.7-keV E3 transition, based on resonance conversion, is considered. That rises the efficiency by an order of magnitude. The main obstacle for enhancing the efficiency is a high internal conversion rate. For this reason, isomers with low multipole order (E1, M1) with high enough energy of the triggering transition are more suitable for triggering. Another way is offered by partial ionization of the outer electrons for decreasing the conversion rate. The results are applied to experiments in laser-produced plasma. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Precision electron-gamma spectroscopic measurements in <Superscript>75</Superscript>As

The decay of ⁷⁵Se to levels of ⁷⁵As has been studied using an HPGe detector for gamma-ray and a mini-orange electron spectrometer for conversion electron measurements. We identify 38 transitions in this decay, including 18 gamma rays and 16 conversion electron lines reported for the first time. New results also include E2 multipolarity assignment for the 81 keV transition, M1 assignment to three newly observed transitions and M1 + E2 for the 617 keV transition. A revised ⁷⁵As level scheme is constructed using the Ritz combination principle through the computer code GTOL. While confirming the existence of 10 well-established levels, two levels at 587 and 859 keV are newly placed into the decay scheme of ⁷⁵Se. The interpretation of the observed levels in terms of various theoretical approaches is briefly discussed. The newly placed 586.8 keV 1/2^- and 859.9 keV 1/2⁺ levels are studied in the light of the Interacting Boson-Fermion Model.     

Observation of M3 isomeric transition from <Superscript>156m</Superscript>Pm through the βdecay of <Superscript>156</Superscript>Nd

An M3 transition in a doubly odd nucleus of ¹⁵⁶Pm was identified by internal conversion electron measurement through the β-decay of ¹⁵⁶Nd which was separated from the fission products of ²³⁵U using the on-line mass separator KUR-ISOL. The isomeric state at 150.3keV de-excites to the ground state with the M3 transition, and the spin-parity is considered to be 1^-. Nilsson configurations are also discussed on the basis of the systematics.     

Total strength of the magnetic dipole resonance in <Superscript>31</Superscript>P

The γ decay of the resonance-like structure observed in the ³⁰Si(pγ)³¹P reaction in the energy range E _p = 1.4–2.7 MeV of accelerated protons has been investigated. The excitation function of this reaction and the spectra and angular distributions of the γ rays formed in the decay of resonances with E _p = 1482, 2350, and 2505 keV have been measured. The M1 resonance on the ground and the first excited states of ³¹P with E _p = 1266 keV is identified. The total strength of the M1 resonance on the ground state of this nucleus is determined. The position and total strength of this resonance on the ground state are explained taking into account pairing forces.     

Improved characteristics of the 22.5 keV (M1 + E2) nuclear transition in <Superscript>149</Superscript>Sm

The gamma ray and conversion electron spectra of the 22.5keV M1 + E2 nuclear transition depopulating the first excited level 5/2⁻ in ¹⁴⁹Sm were investigated in detail. A substantially improved value of 22500.2 ± 0.8 eV for the transition energy was determined that opens a possibility to establish an electron energy standard for the keV region based on the conversion electron lines of this transition. The E2 admixture parameter |δ(E2/M1)| = 0.0784 ± 0.0009 and the nuclear structure parameter λ = − 2 ± 10 were derived. The |δ(E2/M1)| and λ parameters were also obtained for all available experimental data and their mutual combination.     

Low-spin states in <Superscript>182</Superscript>Os and K<Superscript>π</Superscript> = 0<Superscript>+</Superscript>, 2<Superscript>+</Superscript> excited bands

Excited states in ¹⁸²Os were populated by the β⁺/EC decay of ¹⁸²Ir following mass separation. Gamma-ray and conversion electron spectroscopy techniques were employed. Monopole (E0) contributions were determined in transitions populating the ground-state band. A systematic study of the low-spin structures in the Os isotopes is presented and a detailed analysis in the framework of a microscopic configuration mixing approach is performed.     

Astrophysical <Emphasis Type="Italic">S</Emphasis> factors for radiative proton capture by <Superscript>3</Superscript>H and <Superscript>7</Superscript>Li nuclei

Within the potential cluster model where orbital states are classified according to Young diagrams and isospin, astrophysical S factors are considered for radiative proton capture by ³H and ⁷Li nuclei at energies of up to 1 and 10 keV, respectively. It is shown that the approach used, which takes into account only the E1 transition for the p ³H capture process, makes it possible to describe well the most recent experimental data at c.m. energies in the range from 50 keV to 5MeV. In the case of proton capture by ⁷Li nuclei, an M1 processwas taken into account in addition to the E1 transition, and a general behavior and the magnitude of the experimental S factor could be correctly reproduced owing to this at astrophysical energies, including the region around the resonance at 0.441 MeV (in the laboratory frame).     

First observation of isomeric transition from <Superscript>148<Emphasis Type="Italic">m</Emphasis></Superscript>Pr and parity assignment for excited levels in <Superscript>148</Superscript>Pr

Internal conversion electrons from the decay of ¹⁴⁸Ce and ^148mPr have been measured with a Si(Li) detector. The radioactive sources were produced by the thermal neutron-induced fission of ²³⁵U, followed by an on-line mass separation. K- and L-conversion electrons of the isomeric transition from ^148mPr were newly observed at 34.6 and 70.8 keV, respectively. The M3 multipolarity was assigned to this transition from the experimental conversion coefficients, and, consequently, the 76.8 keV isomeric level was found to be a 4^- state. Parities of some excited levels in ¹⁴⁸Pr were also deduced.     

On the unusual properties of the 282 keV state in <Superscript>135</Superscript>Sb

Recently the first excited state in ¹³⁵Sb has been observed at the unexpectedly low excitation energy of only 282keV and interpreted as mainly d _5/2 proton coupled to the ¹³⁴Sn core. Based on theoretical considerations it was suggested that its low excitation energy is related to a relative shift of the proton d _5/2 and g _7/2 orbits induced by the neutron excess. We have measured the lifetime of the 282keV state by the advanced time-delayed βγγ(t) method. The measured half-life, T _1/2 = 6.1(4)ns, yields exceptionally low limits of B(M1;5/2₁ ⁺→7/2₁ ⁺)≤3.0×10^-4 μ ² _N and B(E2;5/2₁ ⁺→7/2₁ ⁺)≤54e ² fm ⁴. These strongly hindered M1 and slow E2 transition rates are similar to those for the transition de-populating the first excited state at 405keV in ²¹¹Bi. Results of shell model calculations with realistic interactions are presented. The M1 decay rate was found to be extremely sensistive both to the wave function and to the M1 effective operator.     

Investigations into the alpha-decay of <Superscript>195</Superscript>At

The low-energy nuclear structure and decay properties of the neutron-deficient isotopes ¹⁹⁵At and ¹⁹¹Bi have been studied. ¹⁹⁵At was produced in the reaction ¹⁴²Nd(⁵⁶Fe,p2n)¹⁹⁵At and ¹⁹¹Bi as the daughter activity of ¹⁹⁵At. The activities were implanted in a position-sensitive silicon detector after being separated from the primary beam by a gas-filled recoil separator. The 1/2⁺ intruder state was determined to be the ground state in ¹⁹⁵At with an alpha-decay energy of E _α = 6953(3) keV and a half-life T _1/2 = 328(20) ms. Another state with an alpha-decay energy E _α = 7075(4) keV and a half-life T _1/2 = 147(5) ms was found to decay to a 148.7(5) keV excited state in ¹⁹¹Bi for which a spin and parity of 7/2^- were deduced. Consequently, the same 7/2^- character was assigned to the initial state at 32(7) keV in ¹⁹⁵At on the basis of unhindered alpha-decay. The 9/2^- state, being the ground state in heavier odd-mass astatine isotopes, was not observed. Received: 16 September 2002 / Accepted: 19 December 2002 / Published online: 25 March 2003 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: heikki.kettunen@phys.jyu.fi RID="b" ID="b"Present address: Laboratory of Radiochemistry, P.O. Box 55, FIN-00014, University of Helsinki, Finland. RID="c" ID="c"Present address: Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, P.O. Box 14, FIN-00881 Helsinki, Finland. Communicated by W. Henning     

Calculation of the angular distribution of delay times in neutron scattering on <Superscript>58</Superscript>Ni nuclei

Angular distributions of average delay times and time variances are calculated for resonance-neutron scattering on ⁵⁸Ni nuclei at neutron energies in the range E = 600−700 keV. The effect of the energy spectrum and polarization of the beam on the scattering-process time is discussed. The angular dependence of the time law is also considered for the decay of an intermediate compound nuclear system. It is shown that the results of stationary and nonstationary calculations are in good agreement.     

Total strength of the magnetic dipole resonance in <Superscript>27</Superscript>Al

The γ decay of the resonance-like structure observed in the ²⁶Mg(pγ)²⁷ Al reaction in the energy range E _p = 0.8–3.0 MeV of accelerated protons has been investigated. The M1 resonance on the ground and excited states of ²⁷Al with E* = 844 and 1014 keV is identified. The total strength of the M1 resonance on the ground state of this nucleus is determined. The position and total strength of this resonance are explained taking into account pairing forces.     

Investigations of low- and high-spin states of <Superscript>132</Superscript>La

The fusion evaporation reaction ¹²²Sn(¹⁴N, 4n)¹³²La was used to populate the high-spin states of ¹³²La at the beam energy of 60 MeV. A new band consisting of mostly E2 transitions has been discovered. This band has the interesting links to the ground state 2^- and the isomeric state 6^-. A new transition of energy 351 keV connecting the low-spin states of the positive-parity band based on the πh _11/2 ⊗ νh _11/2 particle configuration, has been found. This has played a very important role in resolving the existing ambiguities and inconsistencies in the spin assignment of the band head. Received: 12 August 2002 / Accepted: 18 March 2003 / Published online: 7 May 2003     

Nuclear deformation and the two-neutrino double- β decay in <Superscript>124, 126</Superscript>Xe , <Superscript>128, 130</Superscript>Te , <Superscript>130, 132</Superscript>Ba and <Superscript>150</Superscript>Nd isotopes

The two-neutrino double-beta decay of ^{124, 126}Xe , ^{128, 130}Te , ^{130, 132}Ba and ¹⁵⁰Nd isotopes is studied in the Projected Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov (PHFB) model. Theoretical 2ν β^-β^- half-lives of ^{128, 130}Te , and ¹⁵⁰Nd isotopes, and 2ν β⁺β⁺ , 2ν β⁺ EC and 2ν ECEC for ^{124, 126}Xe and ^{130, 132}Ba nuclei are presented. Calculated quadrupolar transition probabilities B(E2 : 0⁺ → 2⁺) , static quadrupole moments and g -factors in the parent and daughter nuclei reproduce the experimental information, validating the reliability of the model wave functions. The anticorrelation between nuclear deformation and the nuclear transition matrix element M _2ν is confirmed.     

Precise energy of the 9.4 keV gamma transition observed in the <Superscript>83</Superscript>Rb decay

The energy of the 9.4 keV γ-transition observed in the ⁸³Rb decay was established to be 9405.8(3) eV. This energy value was obtained from photon spectrometry measurements of the differences in the energies of closely spaced lines. The result allows one to determine more precisely the energy of conversion electrons of the 9.4 keV transition, which represent a unique tool for energy calibration of the tritium beta spectrum and systematic measurements in the KATRIN neutrino mass determination experiment.     

Experimental investigation of ligand effects on the conversion electron spectrum of the 22.5 keV M1 + E2 nuclear transition in <Superscript>149</Superscript>Sm

The conversion electron spectrum of the 22.5keV M1 + E2 nuclear transition in ¹⁴⁹Sm from the electron capture decay of ¹⁴⁹Eu was experimentally studied for the “Eu₂O₃” and “EuF₃” compounds in which ¹⁴⁹Eu ions have the same assumed oxidation number +3 . While the energies of the L, M, N, O, and P₁ conversion lines for “EuF₃” were lower, on average, by 1.7(1), 2.7(2), 2.3(3), 4.1(2), and 5.7(9)eV, respectively, than those for “Eu₂O₃”, no changes between the two ligand complexes were observed for relative intensities of the conversion lines and their natural widths within the error limits.     

Triggering of nuclear isomers via decay of autoionization states in electron shells (NEET)

Nuclear excitation by an electron transition (NEET) may be used for triggering the decay of nuclear isomers only when there are compensations between energies (ΔE) and multipolarities (ΔL) of the nuclear transition and the transition in an electron shell. It is shown that using the autoionization states (AS) allows one to compensate for the ΔE and ΔL differences. Laser radiation may be used for the excitation of AS with energies up to 10–15 eV and ^229m Th (3.5 eV) nuclear isomer excitation by NEET via AS decay. Ion beams, electron beams, and X rays may be used for the excitation of the trigger nuclear levels with energies up to 150 keV by NEET via AS and for the triggering of the nuclear isomer decay. For excitation of AS with the energies up to 150 keV, two or more hole states in deep inner electron shells must be excited. The cross section for such two-hole state excitation in electron shells by ion beams may be sufficiently high. The possibilities of NEET via AS for the triggering of nuclear isomer decay are discussed.     

High-spin states in <Superscript>36</Superscript>Ar and their underlying shell model configurations

Eight high-spin states in ³⁶Ar below 10MeV excitation energy, among them a prospective J ^π = 8^- state at 9408keV and the J? 8 levels of the recently discovered superdeformed rotational band, have been observed by n-γ coincidence measurements with the ³³S(α, nγ) reaction at E _α = 14.4 and 13.4MeV. High-spin assignments of, respectively, J ^π = 6⁺ and 5^- were obtained for the E _p = 1209 and 1462keV (E _x = 9682 and 9927keV) resonances of the ³⁵Cl (p,γ) reaction by a measurement of γ-ray angular distributions. The spectrum of the high-spin and of the E _x? 7.4MeV levels is decomposed according to the underlying shell model configurations with n = 0, 1, 2, 4 particles excited from the N = 2 into the N = 3 major shell. The role of four-particle excitations, all connected with large prolate distortions, is elucidated for the entire A = 36-40 mass region. Received: 21 December 2001 / Accepted: 25 March 2002     

Low-lying intrinsic structures in <Superscript>254</Superscript>Es

Low-lying two-quasiparticle bandhead energies for the Z = 99 odd-odd nucleus ²⁵⁴Es are evaluated using a simple phenomenological model with the inclusion of the residual p-n interaction. Configurations of the intrinsic levels directly fed in ²⁵⁴Es from the parent ²⁵⁸Md are discussed in the light of this model. Our analysis predicts the occurrence of ten K≤5 bandheads in ²⁵⁴Es with excitation energies E _x≤300keV. Structures of these as yet unidentified low-lying intrinsic levels and their expected locations are discussed in the light of available experimental information.