Shape changes at high spin in 78Kr

High-spin states in ⁷⁸Kr have been studied via the ⁶³Cu (¹⁹F, 2p2n)⁷⁸Kr reaction at a beam energy of 60 MeV using the Indian National Gamma Array (INGA). In this nucleus, lifetimes have been measured upto the I^π=22⁺ level in the yrast positive-parity band and upto the I^π=15^- level in the negative-parity band using the Doppler Shift Attenuation Method (DSAM). The deduced transition quadrupole moments Q_t's are found to decrease with rotational frequency for both the bands.     

Microscopic study of yrast bands and backbending anomaly in 78-82Kr isotopes

The yrast spectra of ^78-82Kr are studied by using the projected shell model (PSM) approach. The energy states are obtained by taking oblate as well as prolate quadrupole deformations for ^78-82Kr. The structure of yrast states and backbending phenomena are investigated. The theoretical results predict low-lying states in ^{78, 82}Kr to be oblate and coexistence of oblate-prolate shapes for ⁸⁰Kr. The B(E2) transition probabilities and g-factors are obtained and compared with the available experimental data.     

Stable collective triaxial rotation in <Superscript>77</Superscript>Kr

Based on the γ -spectroscopic analysis of G.N. Sylvan et al., configuration-dependent cranked Nilsson-Strutinsky calculations have been performed. They describe the nucleus ⁷⁷Kr globally in good agreement with the experimental findings and the expectations derived from single-particle orbitals in a deformed potential. Within these calculations, the unambiguous assignment of a configuration with three protons and five neutrons in the g _9/2 shell to the high-spin Yrast states of negative parity indicates that the nucleus ⁷⁷Kr has stable triaxial deformation and rotates about the intermediate axis. This not only disproves the recent interpretation of an occupation of the d _5/2 orbital being responsible for the strong deformation in this band, but also represents one of the first examples in this mass region for such a rotation.     

Shapes of the neutron-rich 88-94Kr nuclei

Neutron-rich, ^88-94Kr nuclei, populated in spontaneous fission of ²⁴⁸Cm, have been studied with EUROGAM 2, by measuring prompt γ-rays. Many new excited states in even-even Kr isotopes have been identified. For the first time spins and parities were determined experimentally in these nuclei. Our results indicate that the quadrupole deformation of Kr isotopes will appear only above N = 58, as observed in Sr and Zr nuclei. The newly found 3^- level at 1506.4 keV in ⁹⁰Kr suggests the exsistence of a new region of increased octupole correlations, probably associated with the ν(d _5/2 h _11/2) pair of Δl = Δj = 3 orbitals. Received: 18 September 2000 / Accepted: 18 October 2000     

Nuclear spectroscopy near the proton drip line in the lanthanide region: The122La nucleus

Excited states in the very neutron-deficient¹²²La nucleus have been established for the first time using the⁹²Mo(⁴⁰Ca, 2α1p1n) reaction at beam energies of 190 and 200MeV. The observed transitions were grouped in three bands. Configurations have been assigned to the observed bands based on the properties extracted from the experimental data and on cranked shell model calculations.     

Beyond the N = 50 shell closure: High-spin excitations of 87Kr and ground-state spin of 87Br

The ⁸⁷Kr nucleus has been produced as fission fragment in the fusion reaction ¹⁸O + ²⁰⁸Pb at 85MeV bombarding energy and studied with the Euroball IV array. High-spin states of this neutron-rich isotope have been identified for the first time. Its level scheme has been obtained up to 6.3MeV excitation energy and spin I ∼ 23/2ℏ. Its structure is interpreted by analogy with those of the heavier isotones. The proposed configurations involve both proton and neutron excitations from several sub-shells located close to the Fermi levels, particularly νd_5/2, πp_3/2f_5/2 and πg_9/2. Moreover, a revised spin value of 5/2^- for the ⁸⁷Br ground state is proposed.     

Beta-decay of the N = Z nucleus 72Kr

The beta-decay of the N = Z, even-even nucleus ⁷²Kr has been studied at the ISOLDE PSB facility at CERN. Measurements of βγ and βγγ coincidences have enriched the decay scheme of the daughter nucleus ⁷²Br with 27 new low spin levels. A more precise half-life of T _1/2 = 17.1(2) s has been determined. Strong feeding to the ⁷²Br ground state is established yielding an unambiguous J ^π = 1⁺ assignment for this state. Candidates for the ⁷²Br g.s. wave function are discussed in the framework of a self-consistent deformed mean-field calculation with SG2 Skyrme force and pairing correlations. A search for beta-delayed particle emission was made and an upper limit of 10^-6 for this decay branch obtained. The cumulated experimental level density of 1⁺ states has been fitted with the constant temperature formula. The comparison indicates that most likely all 1⁺ levels up to 1.2 MeV have been observed in this investigation. The corresponding nearest-neighbour level spacing does not follow a Poisson distribution. The Gamow-Teller strength distribution is compared, in terms of nuclear deformation, with different calculations made in the framework of the quasiparticle random phase approximation. Received: 7 February 2002 / Accepted: 31 October 2002 / Published online: 6 March 2003 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: borge@pinar2.csic.es RID="b" ID="b"Present address: Centre d' Etudes Nucléaires de Bordeaux-Gradignan, Le Haut Vigneau, F-33175 Gradignan Cedex, France. RID="c" ID="c"Present address: University Mentouri, 25000 Constantine, Algeria. Communicated by J. ?yst?     

Isomers of astrophysical interest in neutron-deficient nuclei at masses A = 81, 85 and 86

Decay properties of neutron-deficient exotic nuclei close to A=80 have been investigated at the IGISOL facility. The studied nuclei, ⁸¹Y, ⁸¹Sr, ^81mKr, ⁸⁵Nb, ⁸⁵Zr, ⁸⁶Mo and ⁸⁶Nb, were produced by a ³²S beam from the Jyv?skyl? isochronous cyclotron on ⁵⁴Fe and ^natNi targets. The internal conversion coefficient for a 190.5 keV isomeric transition in ^81mKr has been measured and the internal transition rate has been determined. The internal transition rate has been used to estimate a neutrino capture rate on ⁸¹Br, which yields a log ft of 5.13±0.09 for the reaction ⁸¹Br( ν, e ^-)^81mKr. A new isomer with a half-life of 3.3±0.9 s has been observed in ⁸⁵Nb. The existence of an earlier reported isomer with a half-life of 56 s in ⁸⁶Nb has not been confirmed.     

Lifetime measurements in 148Gd

Lifetimes of excited states in ¹⁴⁸Gd were measured using the recoil distance method with a plunger device coupled to the EUROBALL Ge detector array. The differential decay curve method in coincidence mode allowed the unambiguous determination of lifetimes of more than 20 excited states. The obtained transition strengths are in good agreement with the shell model calculations. The effect of the Z = 64 subshell closure on the B(E2 : 2⁺ → 0⁺) reduced strengths above the N = 82 magic number is discussed.-1 Received: 14 November 2002 / Accepted: 4 February 2003 / Published online: 29 April 2003     

Investigation of lifetimes in quadrupole bands of 142Gd

For a level scheme investigation of ¹⁴²Gd an experiment with the γ -spectrometer EUROBALLIII has been carried out and lifetimes have been measured with EUROBALL IV using the Doppler-shift attenuation method. The high-spin states have been populated in these experiments by means of the ⁹⁹Ru(⁴⁸Ti, 2p3n) reaction at a beam energy of 240MeV and the ¹¹⁴Sn(³²S, 2p2n) reaction at 160MeV, respectively. Reduced E2 transition probabilities B(E2) were determined for 15 members of four quadrupole bands. For the interpretation of the positive-parity even-spin quadrupole bands, calculations in the cranked Nilsson-Strutinsky as well as interacting boson models have been performed. From the former calculations it was concluded that the high-spin states of the (+ , 0)₁ band in ¹⁴²Gd represent a triaxial nucleus rotating around the longest principal axis.     

In-beam γ-ray spectroscopy of 42Ca

High-spin states of the ⁴²Ca nucleus, populated in the 68 MeV ¹⁸O + ³⁰Si reaction, have been studied in a γ-γ-recoil coincidence experiment. The level scheme of ⁴²Ca has been extended up to 13.7 MeV. An elaborate decay pattern with various paths, together with high-quality DCO and polarization information assigns spins and parities for almost all observed levels. The sequence of non-yrast positive-parity states is discussed and compared with highly deformed bands in ³⁶Ar and ⁴⁰Ca. Received: 26 November 2002 / Accepted: 11 December 2002 / Published online: 18 February 2003 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: Malgorzata.Lach@ifj.edu.pl RID="b" ID="b"Present address: TRIUMF, Vancouver, Canada. RID="†" ID="†"Deceased. Communicated by D. Schwalm     

Loss of collectivity in 79Rb

High-spin states in ⁷⁹Rb were populated in the reaction at E(beam) = 60 MeV. The lifetimes of the excited states of the positive-parity yrast band and of the negative-parity band in ⁷⁹Rb were measured by the Doppler Shift Attenuation Method. The deduced transition quadrupole moments Q_t are found to have a decreasing trend with rotational frequency for both the bands, consistent with those found experimentally in neighbouring nuclei. An erratum to this article is available at .     

Suppression of band crossing in the neutron-rich nuclei 172, 173Yb due to the absence of a static pair field

High-spin states in the neutron-rich nuclei ^172,173Yb have been populated in a ¹⁷⁰Er(⁷Li,(p,d,t)xn) incomplete-fusion reaction and the emitted γ-radiation was detected with the GASP array. The signature partners of the 7/2⁺[633] rotational band of the odd-N ¹⁷³Yb isotope have been newly established and were observed up to spin values of (45/2⁺) and (43/2⁺), respectively. The ground-state band of the even-even nucleus ¹⁷²Yb has been observed up to a spin value of (22⁺). No band crossings were found in these bands. To explain this observation, it is proposed that the static pair field is absent, considering that the neutron odd-even mass differences reach for these nuclei very small values and that the band crossing is absent in cranked shell modell calculations without pairing. The results indicate, however, that strong dynamic correlations are still present.     

Gamma-ray spectroscopy of the doubly magic nucleus 56Ni

The doubly magic N = Z nucleus ⁵⁶Ni has been investigated with two fusion-evaporation reactions; ⁴⁰Ca(²⁸Si, 3α)⁵⁶Ni at a beam energy of 122MeV and ²⁸Si(³²S, 2p2n)⁵⁶Ni at 130MeV. To detect γ-rays in coincidence with evaporated particles the Ge-detector array Gammasphere was used in conjunction with the charged-particle detector system, Microball and a 1π neutron detector array. Results include a significantly extended level scheme of ⁵⁶Ni, which is compared to large-scale shell model calculations in the fp shell. The experimental and theoretical results agree to a large extent, with one notable exception; the theoretical model fails to predict the proper sequence of the yrast and yrare 8⁺ states.     

Nuclear quadrupole moments of 5/2<Superscript>-</Superscript> and 9/2<Superscript>-</Superscript> states in <Superscript>169</Superscript>Ta

The nuclear spectroscopic quadrupole moments for the πh_9/25/2^-, 1/2^-[541] and the πh_11/29/2^-, 9/2^-[514] isomeric states in ¹⁶⁹Ta have been measured employing the time differential perturbed angular-distribution technique following the nuclear reaction ¹⁵⁹Tb(¹⁶O, 6nγ)¹⁶⁹Ta at beam energy 104 MeV. The ratio of the intrinsic quadrupole moments has been derived as 1.87(13) from the measured quadrupole precession frequencies of the corresponding states. The model-independent analysis of the equilibrium deformation indicates strong prolate- and oblate-driving nature of the 1/2^-[541] and 9/2^-[514] orbitals in ^169,171Ta isotopes, respectively.     

Transition strengths and shapes of 2-qp bands in 74Se and 76Kr

The lifetimes of the states of −ve parity 2-qp bands of N=40 nuclei ⁷⁴Se and ⁷⁶Kr were measured. The transition strengths and quadrupole moments, obtained from the lifetimes, show a large collectivity of such bands in both the nuclei. The alignment frequencies were calculated from Woods-Saxon cranking model. Previously suggested quasi proton nature of band 5 and 6 of ⁷¹Se were argued to be based on quasi neutron excitations. The total Routhian surface calculations suggest triaxial shapes with large +ve and −ve values of triaxiality parameter γ after proton and neutron alignments in these bands respectively.     

First identification of excited states in 59Zn

Excited states in ⁵⁹Zn were observed for the first time following the fusion-evaporation reaction ²⁴Mg + ⁴⁰Ca at a beam energy of 60 MeV. The GASP array in conjunction with the ISIS Silicon ball and the NeutronRing allowed for the detection of γ-rays in coincidence with evaporated light particles. The mirror symmetry of ⁵⁹Zn and ⁵⁹Cu is discussed. Received: 28 May 2002 / Accepted: 10 July 2002 / Published online: 3 December 2002 RID="a" ID="a"Present address: Oliver Lodge Laboratory, University of Liverpool, P.O. Box 147, Liverpool, L69 7ZE, United Kingdom; e-mail: ca@ns.ph.liv.ac.uk. RID="b" ID="b"Present address: Physik-Departament, Technische Universit?t München, D-85748 Garching, Germany. Communicated by W. Henning     

New results on proton emission from odd-odd nuclei

⁷⁸Kr beams were used to bombard ⁵⁸Ni, ⁹²Mo and ⁹⁶Ru, producing three new, odd-odd, proton-emitting isotopes, ¹³⁰Eu, ^164mIr and ¹⁷⁰Au. Preliminary experimental and theoretical results will be presented in this paper. Received: 21 March 2002 / Accepted: 16 May 2002 / Published online: 31 October 2002 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: mahmud@ph.ed.ac.uk     

Deformed shell model for T = 0, 1 and 2 bands in <Superscript>52</Superscript>Fe and <Superscript>72</Superscript>Kr

Deformed configuration mixing shell model based on Hartree-Fock states with extension to include isospin projection (DSMT) for two- and four-particle configurations (generated by particle-hole excitations) is applied to study the structure of the low-lying T = 0, 1 and 2 bands (or levels) in the even-even N = Z nuclei ⁵²Fe and ⁷²Kr. The pf-shell KB3 interaction for ⁵²Fe and a modified Kuos interaction for ⁷²Kr are employed in the calculations. In this first application of DSMT with four-particle T projection, low-spin (J 10) members of the T = 0, 1 and 2 bands in ⁵²Fe are compared with experiment including the known E2 transition strengths. The agreement between DSMT and experiment is reasonably good. Similarly, the low-spin members of the observed (prolate) yrast band in ⁷²Kr are also well described by DSMT.