Recent developments and on-line tests of uranium carbide targets for production of nuclides far from stability

The capacity of uranium carbide target materials of different structure and density for production of neutron-rich and heavy neutron-deficient nuclides have been investigated. The yields of Cs and Fr produced by a 1 GeV proton beam of the PNPI synchrocyclotron and release properties of different targets have been measured. Yields and release efficiencies of Cs and Fr produced from a high density UC target material and from low density UCx prepared by the ISOLDE method at IRIS in the collaboration with PARRNe group from Orsay are compared. The yields from ISOLDE original target are presented for comparison as well.     

Production of Cs and Fr isotopes from a high-density UC targets with different grain dimensions

A UC target material of 11.3±0.5 g/cm^3 uranium density with the grain size of 20 and 5μm manufactured in a form of pills by the method of powder metallurgy has been tested on-line within the temperature range of 1800-2100 ^° C . The mass of uranium exposed to the beam was 4-7g. The yields and release rates of Cs and Fr isotopes produced by fission and spallation reactions of ²³⁸U by 1GeV protons have been measured. The yields of Cs and Fr isotopes obtained from the tested target materials have been compared, including yields of very short-lived Fr isotopes with half-lives down to 1ms. Temperature-resistant materials (porous graphite and tantalum foil) have been used for the internal-container construction, which holds the UC target pills inside a tungsten external container heated by the resistant heating. The fastest release and the highest efficiency for short-lived isotopes have been obtained for the targets with the internal container manufactured from the tantalum foil. Results of on-line tests of a big mass target (730g of 5μm grain UC target material) have been discussed.     

Target mass correction on the 3He polarized structure function

The diffusion-effusion model has been used to analyse the release and yields of Fr and Cs isotopes from uranium carbide targets of very different thicknesses (6.3 and 148 g/cm²) bombarded by a 1 GeV proton beam. Release curves of several isotopes of the same element and production efficiency versus decay half-life are well fitted with the same set of parameters. Comparison of efficiencies for neutron-rich and neutron-deficient Cs isotopes enables separation of the contributions from the primary (p + ²³⁸U) and secondary (n + ²³⁸U) reactions to the production of neutron-rich Cs isotopes. A rather simple calculation of the neutron contribution describes these data fairly well. The FLUKA code describes the primary and secondary-reaction contributions to the Cs isotopes production efficiencies for different targets quite well.     

ISOL beams of hafnium isotopes and isomers

The production of ISOL beams of hafnium is described. Radioactive Hf isotopes were produced at ISOLDE by 1.4 GeV proton-induced spallation in Ta and W foils. Chemical evaporation in form of HfF₄ and mass separation in the molecular sideband HfF₃⁺ after electron impact ionization provided intense and pure beams. Beams of ^158-185Hf and short-lived isomers down to 1.1 s ^177mHf were observed, but the method could be extended to reach even more exotic isotopes: down to about ¹⁵⁴Hf (N=82) on the neutron-deficient side and up to neutron-rich ¹⁸⁸Hf.     

加速器驱动次临界系统散裂靶参数优化计算

采用国际开源程序包Geant4,构建高能质子束轰击加速器驱动次临界系统(ADS)散裂靶的物理模型,模拟计算质子轰击液态金属铅、铅-铋合金和汞靶的泄漏中子谱分布,以及计算不同能量质子对应的铅靶泄漏中子产额和轴向积分分布,获得1 Ge V质子对应的铅圆柱靶优化参数,考虑入射质子的利用率和整个堆芯的体积质量,优化靶半径范围为16～24 cm,靶高为100 cm,相关研究结果可为(ADS)散裂靶的物理和工程设计提供理论依据。     

Proton instability of 73Rb

The study of the stability of an astrophysically interesting nucleus ⁷³Rb was performed by searching its β⁺ and proton decay at the ISOLDE facility at CERN. Light rubidium isotopes were produced in a spallation reaction of a niobium target induced by a pulsed 1 GeV proton beam. The previously reported proton-unbound character of ⁷³Rb was confirmed and the upper limit for its production cross-section was reduced by more than one order of magnitude.     

On-line production of Rb and Cs isotopes from uranium carbide targets

A series of on-line mass separation experiments have been performed at the IRIS facility to measure the yield and release of Rb and Cs neutron-rich isotopes produced by fission reaction of ²³⁸U. A 1 GeV proton beam was used to bombard uranium carbide targets with the densities of 11 g/cm³ and 1.5 g/cm³ held at temperatures in the range (2000-2230) ^°C. The release curves of Rb and Cs long-lived isotopes were measured from both kinds of targets. The overall production efficiency was determined making use of experimentally measured cross-sections of that isotope production. Comparison of the experimental yields of Rb and Cs isotopes with the calculated ones after corrections for losses due to finite release times suggests that the diffusion is the dominating process reducing the efficiency for short-lived isotopes. When normalized to the same thickness, an enhancement for the high-density rod target of the measured isotope yields is observed when going far from stability. This is possibly explained by the reactions induced by secondary neutrons. A significant odd-even effect with higher yields of Cs even neutron isotopes has been observed, confirming a similar effect obtained in earlier experiments.     

Interaction of <Superscript>12</Superscript>C ions with nuclei of enriched tin isotopes at an energy of 2.2 GeV per nucleon

The formation cross sections for about 110 products of interaction between a ¹²C ion beam of energy 2.2 GeV per nucleon and tin targets from the isotopes ^{112,118,120,124}Sn were calculated. Massyield and charge distributions were obtained for ^112,118,124Sn targets. An analysis of these charge distributions reveals that the positions of their maxima, Z _p , are different for targets having different nucleon compositions. The formation cross sections for neutron-rich products originating from neutron-rich targets are found to increase in all product-mass regions considered in our study. Mass distributions are compared for proton-, deuteron- and ion-nucleus reactions.     

Proton instability of73Rb

The study of the stability of an astrophysically interesting nucleus⁷³Rb was performed by searching itsβ ⁺ and proton decay at the ISOLDE facility at CERN. Light rubidium isotopes were produced in a spallation reaction of a niobium target induced by a pulsed 1 GeV proton beam. The previously reported proton-unbound character of⁷³Rb was confirmed and the upper limit for its production cross-section was reduced by more than one order of magnitude.     

Formation of close-to-target products in reactions induced by <Superscript>12</Superscript>C ions on tin isotopes at the energy of 2.2 GeV per nucleon

Cross sections for charge-exchange reactions induced by the interaction between ¹²C ions of energy E_{¹² C} = 2.2E_{^{12} C} = 2.2 GeV per nucleon and tin targets enriched in the isotopes ^118,120,124Sn were measured by the induced-activity method. The cross sections for products whose charge numbers were in excess of the target charge number (Sb and Te) were determined. The shape of the isotope distribution of Sb products was indicative of the evaporative character of neutron emission in the formation of final-state products. The dependence of cross sections for charge-exchange reactions on the nucleonic composition of the target was considered. The contribution of electromagnetic excitation to the cross section for the reaction ¹²⁴Sn(¹²C, x)¹²⁴Sn was estimated.     

Enhanced production of neutron-rich rare isotopes in peripheral collisions at Fermi energies

A large enhancement in the production of neutron-rich projectile residues is observed in the reactions of a 25 MeV/nucleon 86Kr beam with the neutron-rich 124Sn and 64Ni targets relative to the predictions of the EPAX parametrization of high-energy fragmentation, as well as relative to the reaction with the less neutron-rich 112Sn target. A hybrid model based on a deep-inelastic transfer (DIT) code followed by a statistical deexcitation code accounts for part of the observed large cross sections. The DIT simulation indicates that the production of neutron-rich nuclides in these reactions is associated with peripheral nucleon exchange in which the neutron skins of the neutron-rich 124Sn and 64Ni target nuclei may play an important role. From a practical viewpoint, such reactions offer a novel synthetic avenue to access extremely neutron-rich rare isotopes towards the neutron-drip line.     

In-trap decay of 61Mn and Coulomb excitation of 61Mn/61Fe

At ISOL (Isotope Separator On-Line) facilities, which utilize thick primary production targets, beams of neutron-rich iron isotopes are difficult to obtain due to the long extraction time of these isotopes out of the target matrix. At REX-ISOLDE, an exploratory experiment was carried out to investigate the possibility of producing a post-accelerated beam of neutron-rich iron isotopes by the in-trap decay of neutron-rich manganese isotopes, which are available at ISOLDE using the Resonance Ionization Laser Ion Source (RILIS). This production mechanism was tested for the first time at REX-ISOLDE with an intense and short-lived beam of ⁶¹Mn isotopes. In this work, the proof of principle of this method is demonstrated, although the technical details of the trapping process are currently not well understood and are still under investigation. The first physics results on the Coulomb excitation of ⁶¹Mn and ⁶¹Fe are presented and compared to shell model calculations.     

Forward pion-nucleon charge exchange reaction and Regge constraints

We present our recent study of pion-nucleon charge exchange amplitudes above 2 GeV. We analyze the forward pion-nucleon charge exchange reaction data in a Regge model and compare the resulting amplitudes with those from the Karlsruhe-Helsinki and George-Washington-University partial-wave analyses. We explore possible high-energy constraints for theoretical baryon resonance analyses in the energy region above 2 GeV. Our results show that for the pion-nucleon charge exchange reaction, the appropriate energy region for matching meson-nucleon dynamics to diffractive scattering should be around 3 GeV for the helicity flip amplitude.     

Spectral hardening of cosmic ray protons and helium nuclei in supernova remnant shocks

The observed hardening of the spectra of cosmic ray protons and helium nuclei is studied within the model of nonlinear diffusive shock acceleration of supernova remnants(SNRs). In this model, the injected particles with energies below the spectral "knee" are assumed to be described by two populations with different spectral indexes around 200 GeV. The high-energy population is dominated by the particles with energies above 200 GeV released upstream of the shock of SNR, and the low-energy population is attributed to the particles with energies below 200 GeV released downstream of the shock of SNR. In this scenario, the spectral hardening of cosmic ray protons and helium nuclei observed by PAMELA, AMS-02, and CREAM experiments can be reproduced.     

Investigation of spallation reactions on 120Sn and (d, xn), (d, pxn), (p, xn), and (p, pxn) reactions on enriched tin isotopes

The cross sections for (d, xn), (d, pxn), (p, xn), and (p, pxn) reactions on enriched tin isotopes are obtained at a projectile energy of 3.65 GeV per nucleon. The yields in the energy range 0.66–8.1 GeV are analyzed with resort to experimental data obtained previously. Experimental data are compared with the results of theoretical calculations performed within the cascade-evaporation model. The dependence of the yields on the number of emitted neutrons, the projectile type, and the isotopic composition of a target is investigated. The cross sections for the (p, xpyn) reactions on a ¹²⁰Sn target are presented at a primary-proton energy of 0.66 GeV.     

Target fragmentation in hadron-nucleus collisions at high energy

We discuss target fragmentations in hadron-nucleus collisions at high energy (5–400 GeV). A model is developed which is based on the two-step (fast and slow) processes. A high-energy hadron drills a linear hole inside the nucleus, kicking out several nucleons (fast process). Along the linear hole, the target breaks up into a few pieces. One of the fragments forms an observed nucleus, absorbing some of the recoil nucleons (slow process). During the breakup, the Coulomb interaction between the fragment and the rest is taken into account. This leads to the consideration of a three-body breakup process which influences significantly the low-energy part of the energy distribution in the h+A → B+X reaction. The model is applied to the angular and the energy distributions in this collision. It achieves a nice agreement with experiment.     

Nuclear moments of strongly deformed strontium isotopes

Nuclear spins, moments and mean square charge radii of^78–100Sr have been obtained by fast ion-beam collinear laserspectroscopy. The experiments performed at ISOLDE have been extended to include⁹⁹Sr, measured by a non-optical detection scheme with a two-step optical pumping sequence. The results for the strongly deformed isotopes are discussed in the frame of the particle-plus-deformed core model.     

Ep≤63 GeV 质子入射铅、铋引起的中子产生双微分截面的模拟(英文)

加速器驱动次临界系统(ADS) 液态Pb-Bi 散裂靶的设计中,需要可靠的理论计算工具精确地预言几个GeV 能量范围的质子引起的散裂反应产生的各种粒子和核素。利用蒙特卡罗模拟软件包Geant4 计算研究了800 MeV至3 GeV 质子入射铅、铋材料引起的中子产生双微分截面。比较了Geant4 不同物理模型得到的模拟结果与现有的实验数据。其中,Geant4 的QGSP BERT和QGSP INCL ABLA 物理模型模拟结果很好地再现了实验数据。本工作证实了Geant4 蒙特卡罗模拟软件包适合用于能量高达3 GeV 的质子入射铅、铋引起的中子产生双微分截面的模拟计算。A detailed design of the liquid Pb-Bi spallation target of the Accelerator Driven Systems (ADS) requires powerful and reliable computational tools that can accurately predict particles and nuclides production by the proton induced spallation reactions in the energy range of a few GeV. In this paper, the neutron production double-differential cross sections for Pb and Bi target materials at incident proton kinetic energies between 800 MeV and 3 GeV are studied by calculations with Monte Carlo simulation package Geant4. The simulated results of Geant4 with several physics models are compared with available experimental data. The simulated results generated by QGSP BERT and QGSP INCL ABLA physics models of Geant4 well reproduce the available experimental data. The present results validated that Geant4 Monte Carlo simulation package is suitable for simulations of neutron production double-differential cross sections of proton induced reaction on Pb and Bi targets in the incident energy range up to 3 GeV.     

不稳定锂同位素移位的高精度测量实验方案(英文)

对丰中子晕核11Li的核电荷均方根半径的实验确定 ,特别是其与9Li的半径的差值 ,将对各种核模型进行灵敏的检验 .选择锂的合适跃迁 ,利用激光光谱技术高精度测量该跃迁的同位素移位 ,并扣除精确理论计算的质量移位贡献值 ,可以用来确定有关同位素的核电荷均方根半径 .就目前能够提供的实验设备和手段 ,对于不稳定锂的同位素8,9Li和短寿命丰中子晕核11Li而言 ,这是能够得到与核模型相独立的电荷半径值的唯一可行的方法 .这类实验正在德国重离子研究中心 (GSI)和欧洲核子中心的ISOLDE/CERN上计划实施 .描述了锂原子的激光激发共振电离途径和进行锂的同位素移位测量的实验装置,并讨论了采用这种方法测量到的6,7Li的初步结果及其精度 ,以及使用该方法研究不稳定核的灵敏性. A high-resolution isotope shift measurement of lithium isotopes in a suitable transition, combined with an accurate theoretical evaluation of the mass-shift contribution in the corresponding transition, can be used to determine the root-mean-square nuclear charge radii of these isotopes. For the unstable 8,9Li and the short-lived halo nucleus 11Li, this is the only approach available for obtaining nuclear-model-independent values of the charge radii within the reach of present-day facilities...     

Technical developments for an upgrade of the LEBIT Penning trap mass spectrometry facility for rare isotopes

The LEBIT (Low Energy Beam and Ion Trap) facility is the only Penning trap mass spectrometry (PTMS) facility to utilize rare isotopes produced via fast-beam fragmentation. This technique allows access to practically all elements lighter than uranium, and in particular enables the production of isotopes that are not available or that are difficult to obtain at isotope separation on-line facilities. The preparation of the high-energy rare-isotope beam produced by projectile fragmentation for low-energy PTMS experiments is achieved by gas stopping to slow down and thermalize the fast-beam ions, along with an rf quadrupole cooler and buncher and rf quadrupole ion guides to deliver the beam to the Penning trap. During its first phase of operation LEBIT has been very successful, and new developments are now underway to access rare isotopes even farther from stability, which requires dealing with extremely short lifetimes and low production rates. These developments aim at increasing delivery efficiency, minimizing delivery and measurement time, and maximizing use of available beam time. They include an upgrade to the gas-stopping station, active magnetic field monitoring and stabilization by employing a miniature Penning trap as a magnetometer, the use of stored waveform inverse Fourier transform (SWIFT) to most effectively remove unwanted ions, and charge breeding.