Prompt-delayed $γ$-ray spectroscopy of neutron-rich $^{119,121}$In isotopes
S. Biswas, A. Lemasson, M. Rejmund, A. Navin, Y. H. Kim, C. Michelagnoli, I. Stefan, R. Banik, P. Bednarczyk, Soumik Bhattacharya, S. Bhattacharyya, E. Clément,… 展开作者
S. Biswas, A. Lemasson, M. Rejmund, A. Navin, Y. H. Kim, C. Michelagnoli, I. Stefan, R. Banik, P. Bednarczyk, Soumik Bhattacharya, S. Bhattacharyya, E. Clément, H. L. Crawford, G. de France, P. Fallon, G. Frémont, J. Goupil, B. Jacquot, H. J. Li, J. Ljungvall, A. Maj, L. Ménager, V. Morel, R. Palit, R. M. Pérez-Vidal, J. Ropert
The fusion and transfer induced fission reaction $^{9}$Be($^{238}$U,~f) with 6.2 MeV/u beam energy, using a unique setup consisting of AGATA, VAMOS++ and EXOGAM detectors, was used to populate through the fission process and study the neutron-rich $^{119,121}$In isotopes. This setup enabled the prompt-delayed $γ$-ray spectroscopy of isotopes in the time range of $100~\rm{ns} - 200~μ\rm{s}$. In the odd-$A$ $^{119,121}$In isotopes, indications of a short half-life $19/2^{-}$ isomeric state, in addition to the previously known $25/2^{+}$ isomeric state, were observed from the present data. Further, new prompt transitions above the $25/2^{+}$ isomer in $^{121}$In were identified along with reevaluation of its half-life. The experimental data were compared with the theoretical results obtained in the framework of large-scale shell-model calculations in a restricted model space. The $\langle πg_{9/2} νh_{11/2};I \arrowvert \hat{\mathcal{H}}\arrowvert πg_{9/2} νh_{11/2};I\rangle$ two-body matrix elements of residual interaction were modified to explain the excitation energies and the $B(E2)$ transition probabilities in the neutron-rich In isotopes. The (i) decreasing trend of $E(29/2^{+}) - E(25/2^{+})$ in odd-In (with dominant configuration $πg_{9/2}^{-1}νh_{11/2}^{-2}$ and maximum aligned spin of $29/2^{+}$) and (ii) increasing trend of $E(27/2^{+}) - E(23/2^{+})$ in odd-Sb (with dominant configuration $πg_{7/2}^{+1}νh_{11/2}^{-2}$ and maximum aligned spin of $27/2^{+}$) with increasing neutron number could be understood as a consequence of hole-hole and particle-hole interactions, respectively.
The use of active interrogation (AI) to induce delayed neutron emission is a well-established technique for the characterization of special nuclear materials (SNM). Delayed neutrons have isotope-characteristic spectral and temporal signatures, which provide the basis for isotope identification. However, in bulk materials that contain an appreciable fissile (e.g., $^{235}$U or $^{233}$U) fraction, such as highly-enriched uranium (HEU), delayed neutrons have a high probability of inducing additional fissions. As a result, the overall delayed neutron signature consists of two distinct components:…
The $β$-delayed neutron emission probabilities of neutron rich Hg and Tl nuclei have been measured together with $β$-decay half-lives for 20 isotopes of Au, Hg, Tl, Pb and Bi in the mass region N$\gtrsim$126. These are the heaviest species where neutron emission has been observed so far. These measurements provide key information to evaluate the performance of nuclear microscopic and phenomenological models in reproducing the high-energy part of the $β$-decay strength distribution. In doing so, it provides important constraints to global theoretical models currently used in $r$-process nucleos…
Recent network calculations suggest that a high temperature rp-process could explain the abundances of light Mo and Ru isotopes, which have long challenged models of p-process nuclide production. Important ingredients to network calculations involving unstable nuclei near and at the proton drip line are $β$-halflives and decay modes, i.e., whether or not $β$-delayed proton decay takes place. Of particular importance to these network calculation are the proton-rich isotopes $^{96}$Ag, $^{98}$Ag, $^{96}$Cd and $^{98}$Cd. We report on recent measurements of $β$-delayed proton branching ratios for…
The β decays of very neutron-rich nuclides in the Co-Zn region were studied experimentally at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory using the NSCL β-counting station in conjunction with the neutron detector NERO. We measured the branchings for β-delayed neutron emission (Pn values) for 74Co (18 +/- 15%) and 75-77Ni (10 +/- 2.8%, 14 +/- 3.6%, and 30 +/- 24%, respectively) for the first time, and remeasured the Pn values of 77-79Cu, 79,81Zn, and 82Ga. For 77-79Cu and for 81Zn we obtain significantly larger Pn values compared to previous work. While the new half-lives for the Ni isoto…
The neutron-rich $^{122-131}$Sb isotopes were produced as fission fragments in the reaction $^{9}$Be($^{238}$U,~f) with 6.2 MeV/u beam energy. An unique setup, consisting of AGATA, VAMOS++ and EXOGAM detectors, was used which enabled the prompt-delayed gamma-ray ($γ$) spectroscopy of fission fragments in the time range of 100 ns - 200 $μ$s. New isomers, prompt and delayed transitions were established in the even-A $^{122-130}$Sb isotopes. In the odd-A $^{123-131}$Sb isotopes, new prompt and delayed $γ$-ray transitions were identified, in addition to the confirmation of the previously known iso…
Measurements of beta-delayed gamma-ray spectra following 14-MeV neutron-induced fissions of 232Th, 237Np, and 238U were conducted at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's 88-Inch Cyclotron. Spectra were collected for times ranging from 1 minute to 14 hours after irradiation. Intensity ratios of gamma-ray lines were extracted from the data that allow identification of the fissioning isotope.
The Hauser-Feshbach fission fragment decay model, $\mathtt{HF^3D}$, which calculates the statistical decay of fission fragments, has been expanded to include multi-chance fission, up to neutron incident energies of 20 MeV. The deterministic decay takes as input pre-scission quantities - fission probabilities and the average energy causing fission - and post-scission quantities - yields in mass, charge, total kinetic energy, spin, and parity. From these fission fragment initial conditions, the full decay is followed through both prompt and delayed particle emissions, allowing for the calculatio…
$Background:$ Previous measurements of $β$-delayed neutron emitters comprise around 230 nuclei, spanning from the $^{8}$He up to $^{150}$La. Apart from $^{210}$Tl, with a minuscule branching ratio of 0.007\%, no other neutron emitter is measured yet beyond $A=150$. Therefore new data are needed, particularly in the heavy mass region around N=126, in order to guide theoretical models and to understand the formation of the third r-process peak at $A\sim195$. $Purpose:$ To measure both, $β$-decay half-lives and neutron branching ratios of several neutron-rich Au, Hg, Tl, Pb and Bi isotopes beyond…
The ground-state bands (GSBs) in the even-even hafnium isotopes $^{170-184}$Hf are investigated by using the cranked shell model (CSM) with pairing correlations treated by the particle-number conserving (PNC) method. The experimental kinematic moments of inertia are reproduced very well by theoretical calculations. The second upbending of the GSB at high frequency $\hbarω\approx0.5$ MeV observed (predicted) in $^{172}$Hf ($^{170,174-178}$Hf) attributes to the sudden alignments of the proton high-$j$ orbitals $\pi1i_{13/2}$ $(1/2^{+}[660])$, $\pi1h_{9/2}$ $(1/2^{-}[541])$ and orbital $\pi1h_{11…
We study for the first time the internal structure of 140Te through the beta-delayed gamma-ray spectroscopy of 140Sb. The very neutron-rich 140Sb, Z = 51 and N = 89, ions were produced by the in-flight fission of 238U beam on a 9Be target at 345 MeV per nucleon at the Radioactive Ion Beam Factory, RIKEN. The half-life and spin-parity of 140Sb are reported as 124(30) ms and (4-), respectively. In addition to the excited states of 140Te produced by the beta-decay branch, the beta-delayed one-neutron and two-neutron emission branches were also established. By identifying the first 2+ and 4+ excit…
The use of chemically selective laser ionization combined with beta-delayed neutron counting at CERN/ISOLDE has permitted identification and half-life measurements for 623-ms Mn-61 up through 14-ms Mn-69. The measured half-lives are found to be significantly longer near N=40 than the values calculated with a QRPA shell model using ground-state deformations from the FRDM and ETFSI models. Gamma-ray singles and coincidence spectroscopy has been performed for Mn-64 and Mn-66 decays to levels of Fe-64 and Fe-66, revealing a significant drop in the energy of the first 2+ state in these nuclides tha…
Shape evolution in neutron-rich odd-even $^{105-109}$Nb isotopes
Universidad Complutense de Madrid（马德里康普顿斯大学）；Universite Claude Bernard Lyon 1（里昂第一大学）；Shandong University（山东大学）；Vanderbilt University（范德堡大学）；GANIL, CEA/DRF-CNRS/IN2P3（大尺度加速器国家实验室）；Université de Strasbourg（斯特拉斯堡大学）
Solar neutrino fluxes depend both on astrophysical and on nuclear physics inputs, namely on the cross sections of the reactions responsible for neutrino production inside the Solar core. While the flux of solar 8B neutrinos has been recently measured at Superkamiokande with a 3.5% uncertainty and a precise measurement of 7Be neutrino flux is foreseen in the next future, the predicted fluxes are still affected by larger errors. The largest nuclear physics uncertainty to determine the fluxes of 8B and 7Be neutrinos comes from the 3He(alpha,gamma)7Be reaction. The uncertainty on its S-factor is d…
Precision $β$-delayed charged-particle emission spectroscopy at FRIB: Proof of principle with the $β$-decay of $^{25}\mathrm{Si}$
Aarhus Universitet（奥胡斯大学）；Chalmers tekniska högskola（查尔姆斯理工大学）；GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH（GSI亥姆霍兹重离子研究中心）；Michigan State University（密歇根州立大学）；Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, Michigan State University（密歇根州立大学稀有同位束设施）；Instituto de Estructura de la Materia, CSIC（西班牙国家研究委员会物质结构研究所）
The Indian Scintillator Matrix for Reactor Anti-Neutrino detection - ISMRAN experiment aims to detect electron anti-neutrinos ($\barν_e$) emitted from a reactor via inverse beta decay reaction (IBD). The setup, consisting of 1 ton segmented Gadolinium foil wrapped plastic scintillator array, is planned for remote reactor monitoring and sterile neutrino search. The detection of prompt positron and delayed neutron from IBD will provide the signature of $\barν_e$ event in ISMRAN. The number of segments with energy deposit ($\mathrm{N_{bars}}$) and sum total of these deposited energies are used as…
A first gamma-ray study of 47,49Cl spectroscopy was performed at the Radioactive Isotope Beam Factory with 50Ar projectiles at 217 MeV/nucleon, impinging on the liquid hydrogen target of the MINOS device. Prompt de-excitation gamma-rays were measured with the NaI(Tl) array DALI2+. Through the one-proton knockout reaction 50Ar(p,2p), a spin assignment could be determined for the low-lying states of 49Cl from the momentum distribution obtained with the SAMURAI spectrometer. A spin-parity J = 3/2+ is deduced for the ground state of 49Cl, similar to the recently studied N = 32 isotope 51K.
The $β$ decay of the neutron-rich $^{134}$In and $^{135}$In was investigated experimentally in order to provide new insights into the nuclear structure of the tin isotopes with magic proton number $Z=50$ above the $N=82$ shell. The $β$-delayed $γ$-ray spectroscopy measurement was performed at the ISOLDE facility at CERN, where indium isotopes were selectively laser-ionized and on-line mass separated. Three $β$-decay branches of $^{134}$In were established, two of which were observed for the first time. Population of neutron-unbound states decaying via $γ$ rays was identified in the two daughte…
High spin band structures of neutron-rich $^{152-158}$Pm isotopes have been obtained from the measurement of prompt $γ$-rays of isotopically identified fragments produced in fission of $^{238}$U+$^{9}$Be and detected using the VAMOS++ magnetic spectrometer and EXOGAM segmented Clover array at GANIL and also from the high statistics $γ$-$γ$-$γ$ and $γ$-$γ$-$γ$-$γ$ data from the spontaneous fission of $^{252}$Cf using Gammasphere. The excited states in $^{157}$Pm and those above the isomers in even-A Pm isotopes $^{152,154,156,158}$Pm have been identified for the first time. The spectroscopic in…
We have developed a technique to measure beta-delayed proton decay of proton-rich nuclei produced and separated with the MARS recoil spectrometer of Texas A&M University. The short-lived radioactive species are produced in-flight, separated, then slowed down (from about 40 MeV/u) and implanted in the middle of very thin Si detectors. The beam is pulsed and beta-p decay of the pure sources collected in beam is measured between beam pulses. Implantation avoids the problems with detector windows and allows us to measure protons with energies as low as 200 keV from nuclei with lifetimes of 100 ms …
In the framework of the Neutronic and Nuclear Assessment Task Group of the MEGAPIE experiment we measured the delayed neutron (DN) flux at the top of the target. The measurement was proposed mainly for radioprotection purposes since the DN flux at the top of the target has been estimated to be of the same order of magnitude as the prompt neutron flux. Given the strong model-dependence of DN predictions, the measurement of DN contribution to the total neutron activity at the top of the target was thus desired. Moreover, this measurement is complementary to the DN experiments performed at PNPI (…
Level structure of light neutron-rich La isotopes beyond the N=82 shell closure
GANIL, CEA/DRF-CNRS/IN2P3（法国国家大加速器研究中心）；Shandong University（山东大学）；Weihai Research Institute of Industrial Technology of Shandong University（山东大学威海工业技术研究院）；Vanderbilt University（范德堡大学）；Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre（变能回旋加速器中心）；Homi Bhabha National Institute（霍米·巴巴国立研究所）；Sun Yat-sen University（中山大学）；Institute for Basic Science（基础科学研究院）；Université Paris-Saclay（巴黎萨克雷大学）；Institute of Nuclear Physics PAN（波兰科学院核物理研究所）；Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory（劳伦斯伯克利国家实验室）；Université de Strasbourg（斯特拉斯堡大学）；Tata Institute of Fundamental Research（塔塔基础研究所）；Tsinghua University（清华大学）
The STEREO experiment measures the electron antineutrino spectrum emitted in a research reactor using the inverse beta decay reaction on H nuclei in a gadolinium loaded liquid scintillator. The detection is based on a signal coincidence of a prompt positron and a delayed neutron capture event. The simulated response of the neutron capture on gadolinium is crucial for the comparison with data, in particular in the case of the detection efficiency. Among all stable isotopes, $^{155}$Gd and $^{157}$Gd have the highest cross sections for thermal neutron capture. The excited nuclei after the neutro…
A short-pulse laser-driven deuteron beam is generated in the relativistic transparency regime and aimed at a beryllium converter to generate neutrons at the TRIDENT laser facility. These prompt neutrons have been used for active interrogation to detect nuclear materials, the first such demonstration of a laser-driven neutron source. During the experiments, delayed neutrons from $^9$Li decay was observed. It was identified by its characteristic half-life of 178.3 ms. Production is attributed to the nuclear reactions $^9$Be(d,2p)$^9$Li and $^9$Be(n,p)$^9$Li inside the beryllium converter itself.…
The low-energy level structure of the exotic Na isotopes 28,29Na has been investigated through beta-delayed gamma spectroscopy. The N=20 isotones for Z=10-12 are considered to belong to the ``island of inversion'' where intruder configurations dominate the ground state wave function. However, it is an open question as to where and how the transition from normal to intruder-dominated configurations happens in an isotopic chain. The present work, which presents the first detailed spectroscopy of 28,29Na, clearly demonstrates that such a transition in the Na isotopes occurs between 28Na (N=17) an…
The decays of the $β$-delayed neutron emitters $^{137}$I and $^{95}$Rb have been studied with the total absorption $γ$-ray spectroscopy technique. The purity of the beams provided by the JYFLTRAP Penning trap at the ion guide isotope separator on-line facility in Jyväskylä allowed us to carry out a campaign of isotopically pure measurements with the decay total absorption $γ$-ray spectrometer, a segmented detector composed of eighteen NaI(Tl) modules. The contamination coming from the interaction of neutrons with the spectrometer has been carefully studied, and we have tested the use of time d…
A structural evaluation of the tungsten isotopes via thermal neutron capture
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory（劳伦斯伯克利国家实验室）；Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory（劳伦斯利弗莫尔国家实验室）；Centre for Energy Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences（匈牙利科学院能源研究中心）；Technische Universität München, Forschungsneutronenquelle Heinz Maier-Leibnitz (FRM II)（慕尼黑工业大学海因茨·迈尔-莱布尼茨研究用中子源（FRM II））；Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics（布拉格查理大学数学与物理学院）
Beta-decay properties of neutron-rich Ca isotopes have been obtained. Half-life values were determined for the first time for 54Ca [86(7) ms], 55Ca [22(2) ms], and 56Ca [11(2) ms]. The half-life of 230(6) ms deduced for 53Ca is significantly longer than reported previously, where the decay chain 53K -> 53Ca -> 53Sc was considered. A delayed gamma ray with energy 247 keV as identified following beta decay of 54Ca, and is proposed to depopulate the first 1+ level in 54Sc. The beta-decay properties compare favorably with the results of shell model calculations completed in the full pf-space with …
We investigate the decay of 87Br, 88Br and 94Rb using total absorption gamma-ray spectroscopy. These important fission products are beta-delayed neutron emitters. Our data show considerable gamma-intensity, so far unobserved in high-resolution gamma-ray spectroscopy, from states at high excitation energy. We also find significant differences with the beta intensity that can be deduced from existing measurements of the beta spectrum. We evaluate the impact of the present data on reactor decay heat using summation calculations. Although the effect is relatively small it helps to reduce the discr…
Evolution of high-spin states in neutron-rich $^{195-202}$Au isotopes approaching the $N=126$ shell closure
Seoul National University（首尔大学）；Institute for Basic Science（基础科学研究所）；Grand Accélérateur National d’Ions Lourds（大离子重离子加速器）；CEA/DRF-CNRS/IN2P3（法国原子能委员会/法国国家科学研究中心/法国国家核子和粒子物理研究所）；Sino-French Institute of Nuclear Engineering and Technology, Sun Yat-Sen University（中山大学中法核工程与技术学院）
An experiment on the study of the $^{246}$Fm spontaneous fission was conducted using the SHELS separator. The isotope was synthesized in the complete fusion reaction of $^{40}$Ar beam ions and $^{208}$Pb target nuclei. The neutron yields of $^{246}$Fm spontaneous fission ($\overlineν = 3.79\pm0.30$, $σ^{2}_ν = 2.1$) were obtained using the SFiNx detector system. The multiplicity distribution of emitted prompt neutrons was restored using the Tikhonov method of statistical regularisation ($\overlineν_{r} = 3.79\pm0.20$, $σ^{2}_{νr} = 2.8$). The spontaneous fission branching ratio ($b_{SF} = 0.06…
When muons travel through matter, their energy losses lead to nuclear breakup ("spallation") processes. The delayed decays of unstable daughter nuclei produced by cosmic-ray muons are important backgrounds for low-energy astrophysical neutrino experiments, e.g., those seeking to detect solar neutrino or Diffuse Supernova Neutrino Background (DSNB) signals. Even though Super-Kamiokande has strong general cuts to reduce these spallation-induced backgrounds, the remaining rate before additional cuts for specific signals is much larger than the signal rates for kinetic energies of about 6 -- 18 Me…
We report a new scenario of time-of-flight (TOF) technique in which fast neutrons and delayed gamma-ray signals were both recorded in a millisecond time window in harsh environments induced by high-intensity lasers. The delayed gamma signals, arriving far later than the original fast neutron and often being ignored previously, were identified to be the results of radiative captures of thermalized neutrons. The linear correlation between gamma photon number and the fast neutron yield shows that these delayed gamma events can be employed for neutron diagnosis. This method can reduce the detectin…
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, 39,40Ti, 42,43Cr, 46Mn, 45,46,47Fe and 49Ni, half-lives and decay spectra have been measured. In a few cases, gamma 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 sta…
