Determination of the Products of Irradiation of Natural Molybenum By Deuterons with Energy up to 13 MeV by Means of Semiconductor Gamma- and X-Ray Spectrometry

Introduction

Among the products of irradiation of natural molýbdenum by deuterons with energies up to 13 MeV, by means γ and X-ray speclrometry were identified these radlonudldes: ⁹⁹Nb, ^92mNb, ^95m+gNb ⁹⁶Nb, ⁹⁹Mo, ¹⁰¹Mo, ⁹²Tc, ^93m+gTc, ^94m+g^>Tc, ^95m+gTc, ⁹⁶Tc, ^97mTc, ^99mTc,¹⁰¹Tc, and ⁸⁹Zr. With the more intensive lines of γ transitions of ⁹⁰Nb, ⁹⁶Nb, ^93m+gTc, ^94m+gTc, ^95m+gTc, ⁹⁹Tc and ^97mTc accurate photon energies have been established and for the lines 1475.7 and 1520.5 keV of ⁹³Tc, 820.2 keV of ^95mTc, and 96.4 keV of ^97mTc also the absolute intensities of the emitted γ were determined. By means of aluminium foils, by which the set of Mo foils had been interlaid, the atomic recoil in forward and backward direction ivas established for the 17.82 mg/cm² Mo foils and deuteron energy up to 12.7 MeV and the ion current of 3.4 μA.     

Capabilities of the Gamma-400 Gamma-ray Telescope for Observation of Electrons and Positrons in the TeV Energy Range

The space-based GAMMA-400 gamma-ray telescope will measure the fluxes of gamma rays in the energy range from ∼20 MeV to several TeV and cosmic-ray electrons and positrons in the energy range from several GeV to several TeV to investigate the origin of gamma-ray sources, sources and propagation of the Galactic cosmic rays and signatures of dark matter. The instrument consists of an anticoincidence system, a converter-tracker (thickness one radiation length, 1 X₀), a time-of-flight system, an imaging calorimeter (2 X₀) with tracker, a top shower scintillator detector, an electromagnetic calorimeter from CsI(Tl) crystals (16 X₀) with four lateral scintillation detectors and a bottom shower scintillator detector. In this paper, the capability of the GAMMA-400 gamma-ray telescope for electron and positron measurements is analyzed. The bulk of cosmic rays are protons, whereas the contribution of the leptonic component to the total flux is ∼10⁻³ at high energy. The special methods for Monte Carlo simulations are proposed to distinguish electrons and positrons from proton background in the GAMMA-400 gamma-ray telescope. The contribution to the proton rejection from each detector system of the instrument is studied separately. The use of the combined information from all detectors allows us to reach a proton rejection of up to ∼1 × 10⁴.

     

Neutron and high-energy gamma-ray emission in 12C Induced reactions on 159Tb

The gamma-ray multiplicity associated with the emission of high-energy gamma rays and neutrons following ¹²C+¹⁵⁹Tb reactions at E_lab= 100 MeV has been measured. The spin decrease deduced for coincident gamma rays within the GDR energy region is found to be in agreement with an estimate based on a statistical model. Neutron spectra measured in coincidence with high-energy gamma rays are explained in terms of two components. The cooler component corresponds to neutrons evaporated from the compound nucleus. The hotter component emanates from a precompound source moving in the center-of-mass system along the beam direction. The multiplicity of gamma-ray cascades, coincident with neutrons from the two different sources, has been deduced. The results show that beside the GDR there appears to be a second source of gamma rays with E_γ≈10MeV. These gamma rays are emitted in more peripheral reactions and before neutron evaporation.     

Nuclear level structure of99Tc

The gamma rays of⁹⁹Tc excited through negatron decay of⁹⁹Mo have been studied by internal conversion spectroscopy, using a high resolution double focusing beta-ray spectrometer. Conversion electrons were observed for all transitions reported before. In addition a new gamma ray of energy 989.37±1.02 keV could be identified and ascribed for the first time to the decay of⁹⁹Mo. Gamma-ray energies have been determined with high precision. Multipolarity data, obtained from the measurements of absolute or ratio of conversion coefficients of gamma rays, were utilized for assigning possible spins and parities to the levels of⁹⁹Tc. From our present data combined with other studies spins and parities; 7/2+, 1/2?, 5/2+, 3/2?, 3/2+ and 5/2? have been given to the 140, 142, 181, 514, 922 and 1131 keV levels respectively. The experimental level scheme is discussed in terms of theoretical predictions.     

Characteristics of the GAMMA-400 gamma-ray telescope for searching for dark matter signatures

The GAMMA-400 gamma-ray telescope currently under development is designed to measure fluxes of gamma rays and electron-positron cosmic-ray components, which could be associated with the annihilation or decay of dark matter particles, and to survey in detail the celestial sphere in order to search for and investigate discrete gamma-ray sources; to measure the energy spectra of Galactic and extragalactic dif- fuse gamma-ray emissions; and to study gamma-ray bursts and the gamma-ray emissions of active Sun. The GAMMA-400 energy range is 100 MeV to 3000 GeV. The gamma-ray telescope has an angular resolution of ～0.01°, an energy resolution of ～1%, and a proton rejection factor of ～10⁶. The GAMMA-400 will be installed on Russia’s Navigator space platform. Observations are planned to commence in 2018.     

Modifications induced by gamma irradiation upon structural,optical and chemical properties of polyamide nylon-6,6 polymer

The effects of gamma rays were studied on the optical, structural and chemical properties of the PA-66 polymer samples. The polymer samples obtained from Goodfellow (Cambridge, UK) were irradiated with gamma rays at various doses ranging from 100 to 1250 kGy. The pristine and gamma rays irradiated samples were characterized by UV–visible (UV–VIS) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. UV–VIS shows a shift in absorption toward the visible region for irradiated samples and a decrease in band gap energy (E_g). The XRD analyses show an increase in the crystalline nature of the polymer at higher doses as a result of significant decrease in the peak width of XRD patterns. The FTIR spectra show decrease in intensity and shift of various bands with increase in gamma dose.     

Decay of a new nuclide:89m Mo

The half-life of the 1/2^? isomer in⁸⁹Mo has been determined in an experiment where an enriched⁹²Mo target was irradiated by 350 or 700 ms bursts of 60 MeV protons. Analysis of the gamma-ray spectra collected as a function of time between irradiations revealed gamma rays at 118.8 and 268.5 keV decaying with a 190±15 ms half-life. The hindrance ofE3 transitions inN=47 andZ=47 nuclides is discussed.     

Casimir Energy in Astrophysics: Gamma-Ray Bursts from QED Vacuum Transitions

Motivated by analogous applications to sonoluminescence, neutron stars mergers are examined in the context of Schwinger's dynamical Casimir effect. When the dielectric properties of the QED vacuum are altered through the introduction of dense matter, energy shifts in the zero-point fluctuations can appear as photon bursts at gamma-ray frequencies. The amount of radiation depends upon the properties and amount of matter in motion and the suddenness of the transition. It is shown that the dynamical Casimir effect can convert sufficient energy of neutron star mergers into gamma rays. Using information extracted from simulations of matter flow in neutron star mergers by Ruffert and Janka, we estimate that the total Casimir energy released can exceed 10 ⁵³ ergs in gamma-ray frequencies. The Casimir energy approach is capable of explaining the most energetic gamma-ray bursts.     

The beta decay of90g Tc and90m Tc

The level structure of⁹⁰Mo is investigated via the beta decay of^90g Tc and^90m Tc whose half-lives are measured to be 8.7±0.2 and 49.2±0.4 s, respectively. The decay properties are studied by means of beta and gamma spectroscopy techniques. The level structure of⁹⁰Mo populated in the decays of both isomers is proposed with deducedJ ^π values. Theβ-decay energies for^90g Tc and^90m Tc are 8.8±0.3 and 9.3±0.3 MeV, respectively. The structure is discussed in terms of the shell model.     

Scientific tasks and present status of the GAMMA-400 project

The GAMMA-400 telescope is designed to investigate discrete high-energy gamma-ray sources in the energy range of 0.1–3000 GeV, to measure the energy spectra of galactic and extragalactic diffuse gammaray emissions, and to study gamma-ray bursts and gamma-ray emissions from an active Sun. The gamma-ray telescope has an angular resolution of ～0.01°, an energy resolution of ～1%, and a proton rejection factor of ～10⁶. Its special assignment is to measure fluxes of gamma rays, electrons, and positrons that could be associated with the annihilation or decay of dark matter particles.     

Atmospheric gamma rays in the energy region 40–1000 GeV

A large stack of lead-emulsion sandwich detector assembly was flown over Hyderabad, India. High energy gamma rays at the float altitude were unambiguously identified from the cascades they induced, and their energies reliably determined by improved methods. From an analysis of 163 gamma rays of energy ≳ 30 GeV, it is found that the differential energy spectrum is represented by the power lawJ _r (E)= 129·4E ^{−2·62±0·12} photons m⁻² sr⁻¹sec⁻¹ GeV⁻¹ at an effective atmospheric depth of 14·3 g cm⁻²; this is the first reliable balloon measurement of atmospheric gamma rays in the energy range 40–1000 GeV. After correcting for the gamma rays radiated by the primary cosmic ray electrons, the production spectrum of gamma rays, resulting from the collisions of cosmic ray nuclei with air nuclei, at the top of the atmosphere isP _r (E, 0)=8·2 × 10⁻⁴ E^2.60±0.09 photons g⁻¹sr⁻¹sec⁻¹ GeV⁻¹. The atmospheric propagation of the electromagnetic component due to the cascade process is also derived from the gamma ray production spectrum.     

Multipole mixtures in gamma transitions from the reaction <Superscript>92</Superscript>Mo(<Emphasis Type="Italic">n,n′γ</Emphasis>)

Angular distributions of gamma rays from the reaction ⁹²Mo(n,n′γ) with respect to the axis of the fast-reactor-neutron beam were measured. The known scheme of levels and gamma transitions in ⁹²Mo was supplemented. The multipole-mixture parameters δ were found for gamma transitions between levels. The relationship between the parameters δ and the structure of excited states of ⁹²Mo is discussed.     

Investigation of65Cu by means of the average resonance proton capture method

The⁶⁴Ni(p, γ)⁶⁵Cu reaction has been studied in the proton energy rangeE _p =2.05–2.55 MeV. The gamma-ray spectra were recorded with a three-crystal pair spectrometer at proton energy differences of 19 keV covering the proton energy range. An average gamma-ray spectrum was formed by adding all the individual spectra after proper adjustment as a result of the alterations in proton energy. The intensities of the gamma rays to final states with knownJ ^π-values were tested against theoretical calculations based on the Hauser-Feshbach theory. The gamma-ray strength function for energies lower than 9 MeV has been extracted from the experiment.     

Internal conversion studies of transitions in96Mo

The internal conversion spectrum from the decay of⁹⁶Tc has been investigated using a 50 cm radius double-focussing beta-ray spectrometer. Relevant features of the internal conversion spectrum from the decay of⁹⁶Nb have also been reexamined in the same way. Special interest has been focussed on investigating a proposed doublet level structure at about 2.44 MeV and higher lying levels in⁹⁶Mo. Internal conversion coefficients have been obtained for most transitions by combining the measured conversion electron intensities obtained in this work with recently reported gamma-ray intensities from Ge(Li) detector measurements. A level scheme has been compiled and deduced transition multipolarities have been used for a discussion of spins and parities for the levels.     

A study of pre-equilibrium emission of neutrons in <Superscript>93</Superscript>Nb(α, xn) reactions

With a view to study the pre-equilibrium emission mechanism in α-induced reactions the excitation functions for ⁹³Nb(α, n)^96m Tc, ⁹³Nb(α, n)⁹⁶Tc, ⁹³Nb(α, 2n)^95m Tc, ⁹³Nb(α, 2n)^95g Tc and ⁹³Nb(α, 3n)⁹⁴Tc reactions have been measured in the energy range threshold to ≈ 10MeV/nucleon using the activation technique. The measured excitation functions have also been compared with theoretical predictions based on the semi-classical code, which takes into account compound nucleus as well as pre-equilibrium emission. The analysis of the data indicates significant contribution from pre-equilibrium emission at these energies particularly in the high-energy tail portion of EFs. The effect of the variation of the parameters used in the code has been studied. The isomeric cross-section ratios have also been measured. It has been observed that the pre-equilibrium fraction increases rapidly with the increase in α-particle bombarding energy.     

Polarimetry of short-pulse gamma rays produced through inverse Compton scattering of circularly polarized laser beams

We have developed a polarimetry of ultrashort pulse gamma rays based on the fact that gamma rays penetrating in the forward direction through a magnetized iron carry information on the helicity of the original gamma rays. Polarized, short-pulse gamma rays of (1.1+/-0.2)x10(6)/bunch with a time duration of 31 ps and a maximum energy of 55.9 MeV were produced via Compton scattering of a circularly polarized laser beam of 532 nm off an electron beam of 1.28 GeV. The first demonstration of asymmetry measurements of short-pulse gamma rays was conducted using longitudinally magnetized iron of 15 cm length. It is found that the gamma-ray intensity is in good agreement with the simulated value of 1.0x10(6). Varying the degree of laser polarization, the asymmetry for 100% laser polarization was derived to be (1.29+/-0.12)%, which is also consistent with the expected value of 1.3%.     

Messung einiger (n, γ)-Spektren mit einem Paarspektrometer hoher Empfindlichkeit

A pairspectrometer of the 180°-focussing type with high efficiency and good resolution is described. The efficiency has been determined in function of the energy, both theoretically and experimentally and it is possible, therefore, to use this spectrometer for absolute calibration of gamma rays above 2·5 MeV. The evaluation methods of the pair spectra allow the single line to be determined with an error as little as ±8 keV (from 2·5 to 9 MeV). We have measured the neutron capture gamma spectrum of J¹²⁷, Cs¹³³, Ir^191,193, Bi²⁰⁰ and given the energy and intensity of the resolved gamma rays. From these results it is possible to compute the binding energy of the last neutron and also some unknown levels. The experiments, which have been performed in connection with the pairspectrometer, have shown an interesting possibility for research work with reactors. With an appropriate experimental arrangement and some special neutron capture gamma spectra, monochromatic gamma rays in the energy range between 3 and 11 MeV are obtained, which are better and much more intense as corresponding gamma rays from (p, γ) reactions.     

First observation of excited states in the <Superscript>111</Superscript>Tc nucleus --A new region of deformation at 40 ⩽ Z ⩽ 46, N ≥ 68?

The ¹¹¹Tc nucleus, populated in the spontaneous fission of ²⁴⁸Cm, was studied by means of prompt -ray spectroscopy using the EUROGAM2 array. Excited states in ¹¹¹Tc were observed for the first time. Systematics of energy levels in odd-A Tc isotopes, obtained in our study of ¹⁰⁷Tc and ¹⁰⁹Tc provide a reliable spin and parity assignment I = 5/2⁺ to the head of the new band in ¹¹¹Tc, interpreted as the 5/2⁺[422] orbital originating from the proton g_9/2 shell. This level is most likely the ground state. Therefore, the (9/2⁺,7/2⁺) spin-parity assignment to the ground state of ¹¹¹Tc, reported previously, is unlikely. Properties of the yrast band in ¹¹¹Tc suggest prolate deformation of this band. There are hints that the deformation of ¹¹¹Tc is larger than that of ¹⁰⁹Tc, possibly due to admixtures of oblate-deformed configurations, which lower their excitation energy with increasing neutron number.     

Der Zerfall des95Sr

The nuclide⁹⁵Sr was isolated by chemical separation methods after thermal neutron induced fission of²³⁵U. It's decay properties were investigated employing semiconductor spectrometers and coincidence techniques. A half-life of 24.4±0.2 sec was found. Out of 29 gamma rays, 25 transitions representing 97% of the observed gamma-ray intensity were placed in a decay scheme comprising 19 excited states of⁹⁵Y.     

Extragalactic electromagnetic cascades as a possible instrument for the study of background radio emission

We analyzed the diffuse gamma-ray emission generated in the interactions between cosmic rays of ultrahigh energies and the background radiation in extragalactic space. The intensity of gamma-ray emission was calculated within a simplified model for energies E ≈ 10¹⁴ eV in different assumptions concerning the cosmic ray sources with the use of different estimates of nonthermal background radiation. It was shown that the gamma-ray radiation intensity in this energy range depends on the background radio emission and that under different assumptions concerning the radio background it can differ tens of times. It was concluded that gamma-ray emission can serve as a test for the models of background radio-frequency radiation.