The Euroball Spectrometer

Euroball is a European project to build a highly efficient and powerful gamma-ray spectrometer for nuclear spectroscopy. The project represents an amalgamation of recent technical advances in detectors, electronics and data acquisition. These developments and the status of the project will be discussed.     

A coincidence study of the decay of 35.8y150m Eu

The decay of 35.8y^150m Eu was studied with a Ge(Li) counter and a Ge(Li)-NaI(Tl) coincidence spectrometer. A total of 64 gamma rays were observed, their energies and intensities measured. A partial level scheme for¹⁵⁰Sm containing 24 energy levels was constructed from the coincidence data. Radioactivity ^150mEu (from¹⁵⁰Sm(d,2n))γγ coincidence; measuredE _y I _y ; deduced levels, decay scheme. Enriched target, Ge(Li) and NaI(Tl) detectors.     

Conversion--electron gamma--ray coincidence spectroscopy of superdeformed 135Nd

Three mini-orange conversion–electron spectrometers and four Euroball Ge Cluster detectors have been used for γ–e^- coincidence spectroscopy of superdeformed ¹³⁵Nd. Transitions within the superdeformed band are shown to have the expected E2 multipolarity. The 766.5–keV transition which links the band to a positive-parity state has a conversion coefficient consistent with M1 multipolarity. Consequently, positive parity is deduced for the superdeformed band. No evidence for E0 transitions was found. Received: 22 December 1997 / Revised version: 19 January 1998     

Evolution of nuclear spectroscopy at Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics

Experimental studies of nuclear excitations have been an important subject from the earliest days when the institute was established. The construction of 4 MeV proton cyclotron was mainly aimed to achieve this goal. Early experiments in nuclear spectroscopy were done with radioactive nuclei with the help of beta and gamma ray spectrometers. Small NaI(Tl) detectors were used for gamma-gamma coincidence, angular correlation and life time measurements. The excited states nuclear magnetic moments were measured in perturbed gamma-gamma angular correlation experiments. A high transmission magnetic beta ray spectrometer was used to measure internal conversion coefficients and beta-gamma coincidence studies. A large number of significant contributions were made during 1950–59 using these facilities. Proton beam in the cyclotron was made available in the late 1950’s and together with 14 MeV neutrons obtained from a C-W generator a large number of short-lived nuclei were investigated during 1960’s and 1970’s. The introduction of high resolution Ge gamma detectors and the improved electronics helped to extend the spectroscopic work which include on-line (p ₇ p′γ) and (p ₇ nγ) reaction studies. Nuclear spectroscopic studies entered a new phase in the 1980’s with the availability of 40–80 MeV alpha beam from the variable energy cyclotron at VECC, Calcutta. A number of experimental groups were formed in the institute to study nuclear level schemes with (α ₇ xnγ) reactions. Initially only two unsuppressed Ge detectors were used for coincidence studies. Later in 1989 five Ge detectors with a large six segmented NaI(Tl) multiplicitysum detector system were successfully used to select various channels in (α ₇ xnγ) reactions. From 1990 to date a variety of medium energy heavy ions were made available from the BARC-TIFR Pelletron and the Nuclear Science Centre Pelletron. The state of the art gamma detector arrays in these centres enabled the Saha Institute groups to undertake more sophisticated experiments. Front line nuclear spectroscopy works are now being done and new informations are obtained for a large number of nuclei over a wide mass range. Currently Saha Institute is building a multi-element gamma heavy ion neutron array detector (MEGHNAD), which will have six high efficiency clover Ge detector together with charged particle ball and other accessories. The system is expected to be usable in 2002 and will be used in experiments using high energy heavy ions from VECC.     

Low-lying 134Cs excited states from the (n, γ) reaction

Low-energy γ-ray and conversion electron spectra from the ¹³³Cs(n,γ)¹³⁴Cs reaction have been investigated with a bent cyrstal spectrometer, β-speetrometer, Ge(Li) and Si(Li) detectors. Gamma-gamma coincidence measurements were made with the Ge(Li)-Ge(Li) arrangement. Gamma-gamma delayed coincidences have been studied with the use of the Ge(Li)-NaI(Tl) coincidence set-up. The decay of 2.9 h ^134mCs has been investigated with the prism β-spectrometer and Ge(Li) detector. The half-lives of the 176.403 and 257.112 keV levels have been measured to be 49.7 ± 0.8ns and 12.3 ± 1.1 ns respectively. The neutron binding energy B_n have been calculated to be 6891.4 ± 1.3 keV. Spin and parity assignments have been made for almost all the levels. The possible structure of the levels deduced is discussed.     

Excited states of100Tc from100Mo(p,nγ)100Tc reaction and the parabolic rule

γ-spectra and excitation functions of the¹⁰⁰Mo(p, nγ)¹⁰⁰Tc reaction were measured in the 1.2–3.6 MeV proton energy range by using thick, enriched targets, Ge(Li) and low energy photon (hyperpure Ge) spectrometers. These detectors were used inγγ-coincidence experiments, too. Conversion electron spectrum measurements were performed by means of a superconducting magnet transporter Si(Li) spectrometer (SMS) atE _p =4 MeV and multipolarities of some transitions have been determined. Based on the experimental results a level scheme of¹⁰⁰Tc has been constructed. Level energies of¹⁰⁰Tc were calculated on the basis of the parabolic rule, derived from the cluster-vibration model.     

Level schemes of163, 165Yb and backbending behaviour of neutron deficient Yb-isotopes

High spin states in^{163, 165}Yb have been populated using (¹⁶O,xn) reactions with^{152, 154}Sm targets. Several rotational bands are observed and the lifetime of highly converted transitions have been measured utilizing a solenoid-Si(Li) spectrometer and Ge(Li) detectors. Thei _13/2 and 3/2^? [521] bands do not backbend, whereas the 5/2^? [523] bands do, indicating additional processes besides the rotational alignment of one i_13/2 neutron pair that are responsible for the backbending.     

A study of high spin states in the transitional nucleus90Mo

The reaction⁵⁸Ni(³⁶Ar, 4p)⁹⁰Mo has been studied at a beam energy of 149 MeV. A detector array consisting of the OSIRIS spectrometer (12 Compton-suppressed Ge detectors), four charged-particleδE detectors and seven NE-213 neutron detectors at the VICKSI accelerator in Berlin has been used to measure the gamma radiation inγγ- and particle-γγ-coincidence mode. An additional Ge detector was placed at 162? to the beam direction to provide information on DCO ratios. The level scheme of⁹⁰Mo has been extended up to an excitation energy of about 12 MeV and probable spin 23?. Some 70 transitions and 40 levels have been newly identified. Spin assignments have been proposed on the basis of measured DCO ratios. Shell model calculations in a model space consisting of the proton 1f _5/2, 2p _3/2, 2p _1/2, and 1g _9/2 orbits and the neutron 2p _1/2, 1g _9/2, 1g _7/2, 2d _5/2, 2d _3/2, and 3s _1/2 orbits with some truncation were made for states above 9? and the predicted structure of these states is discussed.     

Recent results of the IGEX 76Ge double-beta decay experiment

The International Germanium Experiment (IGEX) has now analyzed 117 mol yr of data from its isotopically enriched (86% ⁷⁶Ge) germanium detectors. Applying pulse shape discrimination (PSD) to the more recent data, the lower bound on the half-life for neutrinoless double-beta decay of ⁷⁶Ge is deduced: T _1/2(0ν)>1.57×10²⁵ yr (90% C.L.). This corresponds to an upper bound on the Majorana neutrino mass parameter, 〈m _ν〉, between 0.33 eV and 1.35 eV depending on the choice of theoretical nuclear matrix elements used in the analysis.     

Thermal neutron captureγ-ray spectroscopy of59Ni and61Ni

Theγ-radiation emitted after thermal neutron capture in isotopically enriched⁵⁸Ni and⁶⁰Ni was measured at the ILL high flux reactor by means of Ge/NaI detectors operated in Compton suppression and pair spectrometer mode. The neutron binding energies were determined asB _n (⁵⁹Ni)=8999.15(23) keV and B_n(⁶¹Ni)=7820.07(20) keV; some 95% of the totalγ-ray fluxes through^59,61Ni were assigned. Theγ-ray strength functions of the primary transitions and the level densities are discussed.     

Levels in179W studied in the181Ta(p, 3n) reaction by on-line electron and gamma ray spectroscopy

Levels in¹⁷⁹W have been deduced from in-beam gamma and conversion electron studies of the¹⁸¹Ta(p, 3n)¹⁷⁹W reaction. The gamma-ray spectrum was studied with Ge(Li) detectors and a crystal diffraction spectrometer; the conversion electrons were measured with a broad range transport solenoid Si(Li) spectrometer. The multipolarities of some 50 transitions could be determined. Coriolis mixing of the Nilsson orbits withN=6 was calculated.     

Measurement of radiation energy by spectrometric systems based on uncooled silicon detectors

The results of measurements of radiation energy for single-channel detection systems based on uncooled silicon planar detectors and spectrometric readout electronics, developed at the Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology National Scientific Center, are presented. Radiation sources of ⁵⁵Fe, ²⁴¹Am, ⁵⁷Co, ¹³⁷Cs, and ^99MTc and characteristic X-ray radiation (CXR) are used in the experiments. The radiation energy in the range of E _γ = 3–140 keV is measured by a spectrometer based on a Si PIN detector. The energy resolution (full width at half maximum, FWHM) in this energy range changes with increasing photon energy from 0.97 to 1.3 keV. The CXR of calcium (K _α = 3.69 keV) is measured by a Si planar detector with an input aluminum foil. Emission lines in the energy range of E _γ = 0.04–0.662 MeV are measured by a CsI(Tl) scintillator-silicon PIN-photodiode detection system. The energy resolution of the spectrometer changes with quantum energy increasing from 22 to 70 keV. The CXR from cesium and iodine with K _α 31 and 28.6 keV, respectively, is recorded.     

Germanium detector array — GERDA

GERDA will be a new experiment at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) to study neutrinoless double beta decay of ⁷⁶Ge at background levels <10⁻³ cts/(keV kg y) at , two orders of magnitude lower than in the previous experiments. Bare Ge-diodes, enriched to 86% in ⁷⁶Ge, are operated in liquid argon complemented by a water shield to reduce the external backgrounds. Intrinsic backgrounds will be suppressed by the pulse shape analysis and segmented electrodes. In GERDAs first phase, the detector array will consist of the existing and refurbished detectors of the previous Heidelberg-Moscow and IGEX experiments. After one year of measurement, the setup should allow us to scrutinize the claimed observation of 0νββ decay in ⁷⁶Ge. In its second phase, GERDA will use an additional set of new enriched ⁷⁶Ge crystals, as segmented or point contact detectors. After 100 kg y the sensitivity will be ; this corresponds to an effective Majorana mass range from 0.1 eV to 0.2 eV.     

Tentative level diagram of146Pm below 1.1 MeV

The level scheme of the doubly odd nucleus¹⁴⁶Pm was investigated by means of in-beam spectroscopy. The¹⁴⁶Nd(p, n) reaction in the 3.5–8 MeV proton energy interval on enriched targets has been used to populate the exited states of¹⁴⁶Pm. High resolutionγ-ray spectra using Ge(Li) and hyperpure Ge detectors and conversion electrons with a mini-orange spectrometer were measured. Withγ-exitation functions andnγ-coincidences usingnγ-discriminated NE231 neutron detectors transitions in¹⁴⁶Pm were identified,γγ-coincidences gave information aboutγ-cascades. With these data a level scheme of 38 levels below 1.1 MeV exitation energy has been deduced including 73 transitions. For 12 transitions experimental conversion coefficients have been evaluated, which agree with the expected values forM1/E2-transitions.     

Investigation of double-beta decay at the Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Physics (ITEP, Moscow)

Investigation of neutrinoless double-beta (2β0ν) decay is presently being considered as one of the most important problems in particle physics and cosmology Interest in the problem was quickened by the observation of neutrino oscillations. The results of oscillation experiments determine the mass differences between different neutrino flavors, and the observation of neutrinoless decay may fix the absolute scale and the hierarchy of the neutrino masses. Investigation of 2β0ν decay is the most efficient method for solving the problem of whether the neutrino is a Dirae or a Majorana particle, Physicists from the Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Physics (ITEP, Moscow) have been participating actively in solving this problem. They initiated and pioneered the application of semiconductor detectors manufactured from enriched germanium to searches for the double-beta decay of ⁷⁶Ge. Investigations with ⁷⁶Ge provided the most important results. At present, ITEP physicists are taking active part in four very large projects, GERDA. Majorana, EXO, and NEMO, which are capable of recording 2β0ν decay at a Majorana neutrino mass of 〈m _ν〉 ≈ 10^?2 eV.     

Bestimmung der Triplett-Potentialdaten für das K2-Stoßmolekül

Short lived Ru isotopes produced in thermal fission of²³⁵U have been chemically separated from the other fission products. Successiveγ-ray spectra were taken by means of Ge(Li) detectors. The observedγ-lines have been assigned to the various Ru isotopes (A=107 to 110) or to their daughter elements on the basis of their half-lives, intensity ratios and known level properties. Partial decay schemes are discussed and relative fission yields are given.¹¹¹Ru has been identified (T ₁₂: 1.5±0.3 s).     

The GRIFFIN spectrometer

Gamma-Ray Infrastructure For Fundamental Investigations of Nuclei (GRIFFIN) is an advanced new high-efficiency γ-ray spectrometer being developed for use in decay spectroscopy experiments with low-energy radioactive ion beams provided by TRIUMF’s Isotope Separator and Accelerator (ISAC-I) radioactive ion beam facility. GRIFFIN will be comprised of sixteen large-volume clover-type high-purity germanium (HPGe) γ-ray detectors coupled to custom digital signal processing electronics and used in conjunction with a suite of auxiliary detection systems. This article provides an overview of the GRIFFIN spectrometer and its expected performance characteristics.     

132Cs gamma radiation

The decay of¹³²Cs was studied by means of Ge(Li) detectors and a magnetic beta-ray spectrometer. The energies and intensities of the transitions in¹³²Xe and¹³²Ba were determined. Of the decay schemes proposed hitherto, that of Johnson et al. [Phys. Rev.138 (1965), B 520] was confirmed.     

MuonicK β /K α ratios from pure elements

K _β /β _α ratios of muonic X-ray spectra from 28 pure elements have been measured with Ge detectors. The correlation of these ratios with properties of the target material and positron life-times is analyzed with statistical correlation theory.     

A high-resolution spectroscopic study of the gamma radiation from the decay of96Nb

The decay of 24h⁹⁶Nb has been studied with a Ge(Li) spectrometer and with a Ge(Li)-NaI(Tl) coincidence spectrometer. A total of 27 gamma-ray transitions were observed, their energies and intensities measured. All but one of these have been incorporated into the level scheme of⁹⁶Mo. The level at 1,625.9 keV reported recently in (n _th, γ) work on⁹⁵Nb has also been observed through the decay of⁹⁶Nb. No experimental evidence has been found for previously proposed levels at 2,657 and 2,791 keV in⁹⁶Mo.