Shape coexistence and the N = 20 shell closure far from stability by inelastic scattering

Following mass measurements in the region N = 20 and N = 28, we have studied inelastic nuclear scattering for the nuclei ³⁴Si, ³³Al and ³²Mg. No evidence for a low-lying shape isomeric 0⁺ state was found in ³⁴Si, and an upper limit for the population cross-section could be established, rendering its existence very unlikely. A new transition was found in ³³Al, that is a good candidate for a 2p-2h state and therefore a determination of the 2p-2h gap at N = 20. Inelastic nuclear scattering strongly excites 3^- states, as seen in ³⁴Si. A strong transition was found in ³²Mg that should correspond to the first 3^- in this nucleus, lying very low as compared to theory and systematics in this region. Received: 21 March 2002 / Accepted: 16 May 2002 / Published online: 31 October 2002 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: mittig@ganil.fr     

The structure and spectroscopy of neutron-rich nuclei

Our knowledge of the structure and spectroscopy of neutron-rich nuclei has greatly increased due to two important developments in nuclear physics: the construction of large γ-ray arrays to investigate prompt γ-rays from fission and deep-inelastic reactions; and the availability of radioactive nuclei from fragmentation and spallation reactions. In this review examples will be given of the advances that have been made in our understanding of the properties of neutron-rich nuclei. The examples are necessarily selective, given the limitations of space and time. Received: 21 March 2002 / Accepted: 16 May 2002 / Published online: 31 October 2002 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: nsd@mags.ph.man.ac.uk     

Seeking the phase transition where Cd, Ag, Pd, Rh, and Ru isotopes become “neutron rich”: Isomeric decay in 125,126,127Cd, 123,124,125Ag, 121Pd, 120Rh, and 117Ru

Gamma rays have been identified in the decay of isomers in ^125,126,127Cd, ^123,124,125Ag, ¹²¹Pd, ¹²⁰Rh, and ¹¹⁷Ru that provide information about the low-energy structures of these nuclei. In turn, comparison of low-energy levels in the Cd and Te isotones reveals that, whereas the yrast structures in the Te isotopes rise smoothly as N approaches the closed shell at 82, the 15/2^- to 11/2^- transitions level off as N exceeds 76. This is identified as the point where the Cd isotopes undergo a phase transition and become “neutron rich”.     

Proton-neutron structure of collective excitations in 94Mo

Due to the recent development of radioactive beam production, various direct reaction studies in reversed kinematics have been made to investigate the behavior of the N = 20 shell closure in the neutron-rich region. Coulomb excitation, proton inelastic scattering, and fragmentation of unstable nuclei have been studied with γ-ray detection. Received: 21 March 2002 / Accepted: 16 May 2002 / Published online: 31 October 2002 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: motobaya@rikkyo.ne.jp     

Inelastic scattering on 12Be and disappearance of the N = 8 magic number

Experimental studies on in-beam γ-ray spectroscopy using a ¹²Be radioactive beam are presented. Inelastic scattering of the neutron-rich ¹²Be nucleus on ²⁰⁸Pb, ¹²C, and (CH₂)_n targets has been studied by measuring de-excitation γ-rays in coincidence with scattered particles. The level schemes and transition probabilities are determined for low-lying excited states in ¹²Be. The present paper presents a brief review of the spectroscopic results, which may be associated with the N = 8 shell quenching near the drip line. Received: 1 May 2001 / Accepted: 4 December 2001     

Experimental evidence on the ground-state energy of 229Pa

The E1 transition from the 3/2⁻ state to the ground state of ²²⁹Pa was identified in the (p,tγ) reaction. Its energy is found to be 11.6(3) keV. This leads to a value of Q_g.s.=−4133(2) keV and to a mass defect of ²²⁹Pa of 29894(3) keV. It is concluded that the ground-state configuration of ²²⁹Pa is 3/2[651]. Received: 29 January 1998     

Shell model structures in the N = 46 isotones 86Zr, 87Nb, 88Mo, 89Tc, 90Ru and 91Rh

The known level energies, electromagnetic moments and decay probabilities of high-spin states in the N = 46 isotones ⁸⁶Zr, ⁸⁷Nb, ⁸⁸Mo, ⁸⁹Tc, and ⁹⁰Ru are interpreted within the shell model. The single-particle space was truncated to the p _1/2 and g _9/2 orbits (relative to the ⁸⁸Sr core) and the single-particle energies and empirical two-body matrix elements derived by Gross and Frenkel were used in the calculations. Based on the generally good success of this approach, energies and decay properties of the yrast spectra in ⁹⁰Ru and ⁹¹Rh are predicted. Received: 31 July 2000 / Accepted: 18 December 2000     

Evolution of the N = 20 and N = 28 shell closures in neutron-rich nuclei

The isospin dependence of shell closure phenomena is studied for light neutron-rich nuclei within a microscopic self-consistent approach using the Gogny force. Introducing configuration mixing, ³²Mg is found to be dynamically deformed, although the N = 20 spherical shell closure persists at the mean-field level for all N = 20 isotones. In contrast, the N = 28 spherical shell closure is found to disappear for N - Z≥ 10 whereas deformed shell closures are preserved and lead to shape coexistence in ⁴⁴ S. Configuration mixing shows that the ground state of this nucleus is triaxially deformed. The first 2⁺ excitation energy E_x = 1.46 MeV and the reduced transition probability B(E2;0⁺ _gs→ 2⁺ ₁)= 420 e ² fm ⁴ obtained with our approach are in good agreement with experimental data. Received: 26 July 2000 / Accepted: 30 August 2000     

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     

The A = 51 mirror nuclei 51Fe and 51Mn

Eighteen previously unknown γ-ray transitions were identified in the T _z = - 1/2 nucleus ⁵¹Fe following the fusion-evaporation reaction ³²S(²⁸Si,2α1n)⁵¹Fe. The level scheme reaches the fully aligned I ^π = 27/2^- terminating state of the five holes in the f _7/2 shell. The 17/2^- state was found to be isomeric, and the lifetime was measured to be 2.87 ns. The mirror symmetry of ⁵¹Fe and ⁵¹Mn is discussed, and the level scheme of ⁵¹Fe is compared to shell-model calculations. Received: 20 July 2000 / Accepted: 1 August 2000     

Accurate mass measurements of very short-lived nuclei

Mass measurements of ³⁴Ar, ^73-78Kr, and ^74,76Rb were performed with the Penning-trap mass spectrometer ISOLTRAP. Very accurate Q _EC-values are needed for the investigations of the t-value of 0⁺ → 0⁺ nuclear β-decays used to test the standard model predictions for weak interactions. The necessary accuracy on the Q _EC-value requires the mass of mother and daughter nuclei to be measured with δm/m ⩽ 3 ^. 10^-8. For most of the measured nuclides presented here this has been reached. The ³⁴Ar mass has been measured with a relative accuracy of 1.1 ^. 10^-8. The Q _EC-value of the ³⁴Ar 0⁺ → 0⁺ decay can now be determined with an uncertainty of about 0.01%. Furthermore, ⁷⁴Rb is the shortest-lived nuclide ever investigated in a Penning trap. Received: 21 March 2002 / Accepted: 16 May 2002 / Published online: 31 October 2002 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: frank.herfurth@cern.ch     

Decay of proton-rich nuclei between 39Ti and 49Ni

Decay studies of very neutron-deficient nuclei ranging from ³⁹Ti to ⁴⁹Ni have been performed during a projectile fragmentation experiment at the GANIL/LISE3 separator. For all nuclei studied in this work, ^{39, 40}Ti, ^{42, 43}Cr, ⁴⁶Mn, ^{45, 46, 47}Fe and ⁴⁹Ni, half-lives and decay spectra have been measured. In a few cases, γ coincidence measurements helped to successfully identify the initial and final states of transitions. In these cases, partial decay scheme are proposed. For the most exotic isotopes, ³⁹Ti, ⁴²Cr, ⁴⁵Fe and ⁴⁹Ni, which are candidates for two-proton radioactivity from the ground state, no clear evidence of this process is seen in our spectra and we conclude rather on a delayed particle decay. Received: 26 July 2000 / Accepted: 20 December 2000     

T-band phenomena in 183Re

Abstact: High-spin states in ¹⁸³Re have been studied using the ¹⁷⁶Yb(¹¹B,4n) reaction at 52 and 57 MeV. Two high-K bands have been observed directly by a time-correlated γ-γ coincidence measurement. One of the bands is built on an isomeric K ^π=(25/2)⁺ state at E _x= 1908 keV with a half-life of 0.82(2) ms. The other band, assigned as K ^π=(29/2)⁻ at E _x= 2739 keV, decays to the (25/2)⁺ band. These bands are interpreted as three-quasiparticle structures, π(5/2)⁺[402] &⊗ν(9/2)⁺[624] ⊗ν(11/2)⁺[615] for the (25/2)⁺ band and π(9/2)⁻[514] ⊗ν(9/2)⁺[624] ⊗ν(11/2)⁺[615] for the (29/2)⁻ band. The K ^π= (29/2)⁻ band becomes strongly Coriolis mixed with increasing spin and is gradually changing into a low-K s-band structure. Received: 20 April 1998     

Quenching of neutron E2 effective charge in neutron-rich nuclei and the ground-state spin-parity of 17C

The electric quadrupole moment of ¹⁷B and the g-factor of ¹⁷C were measured by using the fragmentation-induced nuclear polarization technique combined with the β-NMR method. The experimental quadrupole moment of ¹⁷B is found strikingly close to that of the neutron closed-shell isotope ¹³B, indicating a strong quenching of the neutron E2 core-polarization charge. From the result obtained for the ¹⁷C g-factor, we can conclude that the ground-state spin-parity of ¹⁷C is 3/2⁺. Received: 1 May 2001 / Accepted: 4 December 2001     

Implication of proton-nucleus scattering for density distributions of unstable nuclei

The use of elastic proton scattering at intermediate and high energies to obtain information about the density distributions of unstable nuclei is investigated. A comparison between the relativistic impulse approximation (RIA) and Glauber model for proton scattering from ¹⁶O, ⁴⁰Ca, ⁴⁴Ca and ⁴⁸Ca at medium energies is performed. We used density distributions derived from the relativistic mean-field theory, employing the recent relativistic force NL-RA1, as well as experimental and phenomenological densities. It is found that the eikonal approximation can describe the cross-section only at small scattering angles and is weakly sensitive to the density distributions, while the RIA nicely produced the experimental cross-sections, even at medium and larger angles, and was very sensitive to the nuclear densities. Furthermore, the RIA better describes the isospin dependence of the cross-section. We used the RIA to investigate the density distribution of ⁵⁸Ca for proton scattering at different energies. It is found that the cross-section strongly depends on the parameters of the density distribution even at a small scattering angle. These results are important in extracting information about the structure of unstable nuclei. We also investigated the RIA and its sensitivity in describing halo nuclei such as ⁶He. We used for ⁶He a no-halo Gaussian density and a realistic-halo density that derived in the cluster orbital shell model approximation and contains the extended distribution of the valence nucleons. Comparison with the recent experimental data at GSI at 717 MeV/nucleon shows that the RIA successfully described the data at all considered range of the momentum transfer and on the other hand favor the halo structure of ⁶He. Received: 1 December 2001 / Accepted: 31 July 2002 / Published online: 11 February 2003 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: mrashdan@hotmail.com Communicated by P. Schuck     

Study of very neutron deficient nuclei 178Pt and 181Au

The ¹⁷⁸Pt and ¹⁸¹Au nuclei have been studied with the (230 MeV) ⁴⁶Ti +¹⁴²Nd fusion-evaporation reaction; γ-rays, evaporated particles and recoiling nuclei have been detected by the γ-array GASP + the Si ball ISIS + the recoil mass spectrometer RMS. The newly observed structures in ¹⁷⁸Pt and ¹⁸¹Au are most probably built on the proton and quasi-proton h_9/2 and i_13/2 configurations. Received: 2 January 1998 / Revised version: 27 May 1998     

Decay of the neutron-rich isotope 113Ru to 113Rh

The decay of neutron-rich isotope ¹¹³Ru obtained as on-line mass separated product of proton-induced fission has been investigated by γγ coincidence and spectrum multiscaling measurements. Decay schemes for both low- and high-spin isomers of ¹¹³Ru have been constructed. The level scheme of ¹¹³Rh is considerably extended. Systematics of the lowest-lying rhodium levels is smooth. The picture of shape coexistence established for neutron-rich Rh isotopes near-neutron midshell is confirmed with the observation of a K = 1/2 deformed band, with its 3/2⁺ state at 600 keV being the lowest-lying level and of probable 7/2⁺ and 5/2⁺ band members. A large fraction of β feeding is found to populate high-lying levels in ¹¹³Rh. The GT strength in ¹¹³Ru^m decay is significantly larger than for the decay of ¹¹³Ru_g and of lighter rhodium isotopes. Received: 18 January 2001 / Accepted: 14 January 2002     

High-spin states in neutron-rich Dy isotopes populated in deep-inelastic reactions

High-spin states in neutron-rich Dy isotopes, populated in deep-inelastic processes produced by the interaction of 234 MeV ³⁷Cl ions with a ¹⁶⁰Gd target, have been studied using the highly sensitive EUROBALL IV gamma-ray detector array. The previously known level schemes for ^{159,160,161,162}Dy have been extended to significantly higher spin ( ? 30?) and the i _13/2 band crossing in ¹⁵⁹Dy has been observed for the first time. The experimental results are discussed within the framework of cranked shell model and projected shell model calculations with particular reference to the observed delayed band crossing in ¹⁶²Dy. Received: 20 October 2000 / Accepted: 16 January 2001     

New excited superdeformed bands in heavy Pb nuclei: Clue for an octupole softness near the N = 118 gap at large deformation

We report the identification of six new superdeformed (SD) bands in ^197,198Pb observed with the EUROBALL IV spectrometer. The results are interpreted in the framework of cranked Hartree-Fock calculations with approximate projection on the particle number by means of the Lipkin-Nogami method. A mixing between quasi-particle excitations and an octupole vibration is suggested in the two SD isotopes. We have estimated the ordering of the neutron valence orbitals and confirm indirectly a N = 118 SD gap. Received: 20 December 2000 / Accepted: 24 January 2001