Precise determination of the neutron scattering length of lead isotopes <Superscript>204</Superscript>Pb, <Superscript>207</Superscript>Pb and <Superscript>208</Superscript>Pb by neutron interferometry

Excited states of ⁶⁸Ga have been investigated through the ⁵⁵Mn(¹⁶O, 2pn) reaction at projectile energy 55 MeV. The level scheme has been extended up to 7.8 MeV. Altogether six new excited levels could be identified and twelve previously unobserved γ-transitions have been placed in the modified level scheme. Received: 19 June 2000 / Accepted: 20 October 2000     

Near-barrier neutron transfer in reactions <Superscript>6</Superscript>He + <Superscript>45</Superscript>Sc, <Superscript>64</Superscript>Zn,and <Superscript>197</Superscript>Au

Experimental cross sections of formation of isotopes ⁴⁶Sc (in reaction ⁶He + ⁴⁵Sc), ^196,198Au (in reaction ⁶He + ¹⁹⁷Au), and ⁶⁵Zn (in reaction ⁶He + ⁶⁴Zn) are analyzed. The time-dependent Schrödinger equation for the outer neutrons of ⁶He and ¹⁹⁷Au nuclei is solved numerically to calculate the probability of neutron transfer and transfer cross sections. In reaction ⁶He + ¹⁹⁷Au, the contribution of fusion and subsequent evaporation to experimental data can be neglected, while the corresponding contributions to reactions ⁶He + ⁴⁵Sc and ⁶He + ⁶⁴Zn are considerable. Fusion–evaporation is taken into account using the computational code of the NRV knowledge base. The results of calculations are in satisfactory agreement with the experimental data.     

A novel,chelator-free method for <Superscript>64</Superscript>Cu labeling of dendrimers

Nanoparticles (NPs) have been widely used in biomedical research, but the difficulty in determining their in vivo characteristics limits their clinical translation. So far, positron emission tomography (PET), which requires that the NPs are labeled with an appropriate positron nuclide, appears to be the most likely solution to this problem. ⁶⁴Cu is the most frequently used positron emitter in NP research and ⁶⁴Cu radiolabeling using chelators is the most commonly used strategy, although this method has some shortcomings in practice. In the present study, we directly integrated ⁶⁴Cu into the internal cavities of generation 5 polyamidoamine (G5 PAMAM), a commercially available NP, without the need for chelators. The labeling time, pH level, temperature, and amount of precursor were systematically varied to determine the optimum labeling conditions. Preliminary biological evaluation in mice revealed that the ⁶⁴Cu direct labeling method was feasible for the preparation of labeled PAMAM for in vivo studies. This study introduced a novel idea for ⁶⁴Cu labeling of dendrimers (and other NPs with a similar structure) and should facilitate the application of NPs in biomedical studies.     

Applications of <Superscript>3</Superscript>He neutron detectors

Neutron detectors with ³He-filled proportional counters are described. The use of these detectors in measuring the probability of neutron emission (in particular, multiparticle neutron emission) after the β decay of neutron-rich nuclei and in studying rare events of spontaneous fission of superheavy nuclei is considered.     

Investigating <Superscript>64</Superscript>Zn<Superscript>+</Superscript> ion-doped silicon under conditions of hot implantation

The results from visualizing the structure and identifying the composition of surface and the nearsurface layers of CZ n-Si (100) implanted by ⁶⁴Zn⁺ ions with dose of 5 × 10¹⁶ cm^–2 and energy of 50 keV under conditions of a substrate heated to 350°C are presented. It is found that there is no Si amorphization after Zn implantation, and only one layer 200 nm thick forms and is damaged because of radiation-induced defects. Zn nanoparticles 10–100 nm in size are found on a sample’s surface and in its near-surface layer. Computer analysis and mapping of the elemental and phase composition of FIB crater walls and the surface show that the main elements (54%) in the sample near-surface layer are Si, O, and Zn. The presence of ZnO phase is recorded to a depth of 20 nm in the sample.     

Precise measurement of the energy of γ rays excited in <Superscript>191</Superscript>Pt decay

The energy differences for 19 pairs of γ rays are measured with a γ spectrometer. The first γ transition in each pair is excited in decay of ¹⁹¹Pt, and the second transition, accompanying the decay of ¹⁸²Ta or ¹⁹²Tr is a third-order nuclear spectroscopic normal. The energies of nine ¹⁹¹Ir levels and 36 γ-ray photons accompanying decay of ¹⁹¹Pt, were determined with high accuracy on the basis of these data.     

Soft-core Interaction for the <Superscript>4,6</Superscript>He + <Superscript>64</Superscript>Zn Fusion Reactions

In this paper, the cross section of the ⁴He + ⁶⁴Zn and ⁶He + ⁶⁴Zn reactions, at bombarding energies above and below the fusion barrier, has been investigated. Soft-core nucleon-nucleon interaction and the Monte Carlo method have been employed for studying the nuclear potential of the projectile-target system. One adjustable parameter has been chosen in this study. This parameter can change the depth of the soft-core potential. It has to be adjusted so that the calculated elastic scattering and fusion cross sections are in acceptable agreement with experimental data. Our results indicate that an increase in energy decreases the depth parameter of the soft-core nucleon-nucleon potential obtained from careful analysis the ⁴He + ⁶⁴Zn and ⁶He + ⁶⁴Zn reactions. Likewise, by comparing the results obtained from both reactions, one can observe that the calculated depth parameter for the reaction related to ⁶He is larger than that for ⁴He at the same energy, in particular at the sub-barrier energies. We try to explain this behavior.     

Nuclear level densities in <Superscript>47</Superscript>V, <Superscript>48</Superscript>V, <Superscript>49</Superscript>V, <Superscript>53</Superscript>Mn,and <Superscript>54</Superscript>Mn from neutron evaporation spectra

The spectra of neutrons from the (p, n) reactions on ⁴⁷Ti, ⁴⁸Ti, ⁴⁹Ti, ⁵³Cr, and ⁵⁴Cr nuclei were measured in the proton-energy range 7–11 MeV. The measurements were performed with the aid of a fast-neutron spectrometer by the time-of-flight method over the base of the EGP-15 tandem accelerator of the Institute for Physics and Power Engineering (IPPE, Obninsk). Owing to a high resolution and a high stability of the time-of-flight spectrometer used, low-lying discrete levels could be identified reliably along with a continuum section of neutron spectra. An analysis of measured data was performed within the statistical equilibrium and preequilibrium models of nuclear reactions. The relevant calculations were performed by using the exact formalism of Hauser-Feshbach statistical theory supplemented with the generalized model of a superfluid nucleus, the back-shifted Fermi gas model, and the Gilbert-Cameron composite formula for the nuclear level density. The nuclear level densities for ⁴⁷V, ⁴⁸V, ⁴⁹V, ⁵³Mn, and ⁵⁴Mn were determined along with their energy dependences and model parameters. The results are discussed together with available experimental data and recommendations of model systematics.     

A study of semi-classical processes in the elastic scattering of <Superscript>32</Superscript>S by <Superscript>64</Superscript>Ni and <Superscript>58</Superscript>Ni by <Superscript>27</Superscript>Al

In order to determine the extent of the presence of semi-classical phenomena such as Fresnel and Fraunhofer patterns etc., we have analyzed the elastic scattering of ³²S by ⁶⁴Ni and ⁵⁸Ni by ²⁷Al using the McIntyre parametrization at several energies. The theoretical approach can reasonably account for the general pattern of the data, thus allowing us to extract the parameters pertinent to these semi-classical processes. The scattering of ⁵⁸Ni by ²⁷Al at 220, 185, 170, 160 and 155 MeV laboratory energies, exhibits features expected from the strong absorption model (SAM). However, the features of the scattering of ³²S by ⁶⁴Ni at 150, 108, 98, 93, 91, 88 and 82 MeV laboratory energies have significant deviation from the expected pattern of SAM.     

Thermal neutron capture cross-section of <Superscript>76</Superscript>Ge

The thermal neutron capture cross-sections of the ⁷⁶Ge(n,)⁷⁷Ge and the ⁷⁶Ge(n,)^77m Ge reactions have been measured by activating targets of isotopically enriched GeO₂ through cold neutrons. The -decay spectra after the -decay of ⁷⁷Ge and ^77m Ge were measured with HPGe detectors. From these spectra the cross-sections for the ⁷⁶Ge(n,) reactions were derived relative to the cross-section of ¹⁹⁷Au using the absolute emission probabilities of the observed -ray energies. The methods used in this work result in smaller systematic uncertainties than those obtained in previous experiments.     

Precise energy of the 9.4 keV gamma transition observed in the <Superscript>83</Superscript>Rb decay

The energy of the 9.4 keV γ-transition observed in the ⁸³Rb decay was established to be 9405.8(3) eV. This energy value was obtained from photon spectrometry measurements of the differences in the energies of closely spaced lines. The result allows one to determine more precisely the energy of conversion electrons of the 9.4 keV transition, which represent a unique tool for energy calibration of the tritium beta spectrum and systematic measurements in the KATRIN neutrino mass determination experiment.     

Coupled-channel analysis for 20.4 MeV energy of p-<Superscript>64</Superscript>Zn inelastic scattering

In this study, a coupled-channel (CC) analysis of the elastic and the inelastic scattering of 20.4 MeV polarized protons from a ⁶⁴Zn target leading to the deformed 2⁺, 3−, 2₂⁺2_2^+ states was performed. The CC potential parameters and the deformation parameters of the excited states corresponding to the best fit to the experimental differential cross-sections and the analysing powers data were determined. For 2₂⁺2_2^+ excited state, a mixed type was used and a good fit to the data was provided. The CC calculation results were compared to the pure distorted wave Born approximation (DWBA) calculation results which were calculated using the new parameters. All calculations were conducted using the computer code ECIS06.     

Multichannel neutron scattering on <Superscript>11</Superscript>Be nucleus

The effect of the Pauli exclusion principle on the relative motion of colliding light neutron-rich nuclei is investigated within a microscopic method for the examples of the ¹¹Be + n and ¹⁰Be + ² n reactions. The effective interaction of nuclei that is due to the change in the kinetic energy of their relative motion under the effect of the antisymmetrization operator is analyzed on the basis of a discrete representation of harmonic-oscillator states allowed by the Pauli exclusion principle. It is concluded that the bound state of the ¹²Be nucleus owes its origin to the impact of exchange effects on the operator of the kinetic energy of the relative motion of the neutron and the ¹¹Be nucleus. The structure of the ¹²Be ground state is discussed in the approximation of two coupled cluster configurations. The cross section for the inelastic-scattering reaction ¹¹Be(n, ² n)¹⁰Be is estimated.     

Blocking of coupling to the 0<Subscript>2</Subscript><Superscript>+</Superscript> excitation in <Superscript>154</Superscript>Gd by the [505]11/2<Superscript>-</Superscript> neutron in <Superscript>155</Superscript>Gd

The concept that the first excited 0⁺ states in N = 90 nuclei are not a b \beta -vibration but a second vacuum formed by the combination of the quadrupole pairing force and the low density of oblate orbitals near the Fermi surface is supported by the blocking of this collective mode in ¹⁵⁴Gd from coupling to the [505]11/2^- single-particle quasi-neutron orbital in ¹⁵⁵Gd . The coupling of this orbital to the 2⁺ g \gamma -vibration in ¹⁵⁴Gd is observed since this coupling is not Pauli-blocked.     

Fission of <Superscript>232</Superscript>Th in a spallation neutron field

The spatial distributions of thorium fission reaction rate in a spallation neutron field of thick lead target bombarded by protons or deuterons with energy between 1.0 and 3.7 GeV were measured. Approximately a linear dependence of the thorium fission rate on the beam energy is observed. The mean fission cross section of ²³²Th 〈σ _f 〉 ≈ 123 mb and it does not depend on energy and type of the beam particles.