0000000000007030
AUTHOR
M. Bowry
showing 47 related works from this author
Total absorption studies of high priority decays for reactor applications: 86Br and 91Rb
2017
Preliminary results from beta decay studies of nuclei that are important for reactor applications are presented. The beta decays have been studied using the total absorption technique (TAS) and the pure beams provided by the JYFLTRAP system at the IGISOL facility of the University of Jyväskylä. peerReviewed
Isospin symmetry in B(E2) values: Coulomb excitation study of Mg21
2019
The Tz=−32 nucleus 21Mg has been studied by Coulomb excitation on 196Pt and 110Pd targets. A 205.6(1)-keV γ-ray transition resulting from the Coulomb excitation of the 52+ ground state to the first excited 12+ state in 21Mg was observed for the first time. Coulomb excitation cross-section measurements with both targets and a measurement of the half-life of the 12+ state yield an adopted value of B(E2;52+→12+)=13.3(4) W.u. A new excited state at 1672(1) keV with tentative 92+ assignment was also identified in 21Mg. This work demonstrates a large difference in the B(E2;52+→12+) value between T=32, A=21 mirror nuclei. The difference is investigated in the shell-model framework employing both i…
First Measurement of Severalβ-Delayed Neutron Emitting Isotopes BeyondN=126
2016
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≳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. This provides important constraints on global theoretical models currently used in r-process nucleosynthesis.
Isomers and high-spin structures in the N=81 isotones Xe135 and Ba137
2017
The high-spin structures of the N = 81 isotones 135Xe and 137Ba are investigated after multinucleontransfer (MNT) and fusion-evaporation reactions. Both nuclei are populated in (i) 136Xe+238U and (ii) 136Xe+208Pb MNT reactions employing the high-resolution Advanced Gamma Tracking Array (AGATA) coupled to the magnetic spectrometer PRISMA, (iii), in the 136Xe+198Pt MNT reaction employing the -ray array GAMMASPHERE in combination with the gas detector array Chico, and (iv) via a 11B+130Te fusion-evaporation reaction. The high-spin level schemes of 135Xe and 137Ba are considerably extended to higher energies. The 2058-keV (19=2 ) state in 135Xe is identified as an isomer, completing the systema…
Approaching the precursor nuclei of the third r-process peak with RIBs
2013
The rapid neutron nucleosynthesis process involves an enormous amount of very exotic neutron-rich nuclei, which represent a theoretical and experimental challenge. Two of the main decay properties that affect the final abundance distribution the most are half-lives and neutron branching ratios. Using fragmentation of a primary $^{238}$U beam at GSI we were able to measure such properties for several neutron-rich nuclei from $^{208}$Hg to $^{218}$Pb. This contribution provides a short update on the status of the data analysis of this experiment, together with a compilation of the latest results published in this mass region, both experimental and theoretical. The impact of the uncertainties …
Strong γ-ray emission from neutron unbound states populated in β-decay: Impact on (n,γ) cross-section estimates
2017
J. L. Taín et al. -- 6 pags., 7 figs., 1 tab. -- Open Access funded by Creative Commons Atribution Licence 4.0
Total Absorption Spectroscopy of Fission Fragments Relevant for Reactor Antineutrino Spectra and Decay Heat Calculations
2015
Volume: 111 Host publication title: WONDER-2015 Host publication sub-title: 4TH INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP ON NUCLEAR DATA EVALUATION FOR REACTOR APPLICATIONS Isbn(print): 978-2-7598-1970-6 Beta decay of fission products is at the origin of decay heat and antineutrino emission in nuclear reactors. Decay heat represents about 7% of the reactor power during operation and strongly impacts reactor safety. Reactor antineutrino detection is used in several fundamental neutrino physics experiments and it can also be used for reactor monitoring and non-proliferation purposes. Rb-92,Rb-93 are two fission products of importance in reactor antineutrino spectra and decay heat, but their beta-decay properti…
Gamma/neutron competition above the neutron separation energy in delayed neutron emitters
2014
To study the β-decay properties of some well known delayed neutron emitters an experiment was performed in 2009 at the IGISOL facility (University of Jyvaskyla in Finland) using Total Absorption -ray Spectroscopy (TAGS) technique. The aim of these measurements is to obtain the full β-strength distribution below the neutron separation energy (Sn) and the γ/neutron competition above. This information is a key parameter in nuclear technology applications as well as in nuclear astrophysics and nuclear structure. Preliminary results of the analysis show a significant γ-branching ratio above Sn. © Owned by the authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2014.
A charge plunger device to measure the lifetimes of excited nuclear states where transitions are dominated by internal conversion
2020
Abstract A charge plunger device has been commissioned based on the DPUNS plunger (Taylor et al., 2013) using the in-flight mass separator MARA at the University of Jyvaskyla. The 152 Sm (32 S ,4 n )180 Pt reaction was used to populate excited states in 180 Pt . A lifetime measurement of the 2 1 + state was performed by applying the charge plunger technique, which relies on the detection of the charge state-distribution of recoils rather than the detection of the emitted γ rays. This state was a good candidate to test the charge plunger technique as it has a known lifetime and depopulates through a converted transition that competes strongly with γ -ray emission. The lifetime of the 2 1 + s…
Total absorption spectroscopy of fission fragments relevant for reactor antineutrino spectra
2016
International audience; The accurate determination of reactor antineutrino spectra remains a very active research topic for which new methods of study have emerged in recent years. Indeed, following the long-recognized reactor anomaly (measured antineutrino deficit in short baseline reactor experiments when compared with spectral predictions), the three international reactor neutrino experiments Double Chooz, Daya Bay and Reno have recently demonstrated the existence of spectral distortions in their measurements with respect to the same predictions. These spectral predictions were obtained through the conversion of integral beta-energy spectra obtained at the ILL research reactor. Several s…
Total absorption γ-ray spectroscopy of beta delayed neutron emitters
2013
Preliminary results of the data analysis of the beta decay of 94Rb using a novel - segmented- total absorption spectrometer are shown in this contribution. This result is part of a systematic study of important contributors to the decay heat problem in nuclear reactors. In this particular case the goal is to determine the beta intensity distribution below the neutron separation energy and the gamma/beta competition above.
'beta'-decay studies of neutron-rich 'TL', 'PB', and 'BI' isotopes
2014
The fragmentation of relativistic uranium projectiles has been exploited at the Gesellschaft fur Schwerionenforschung laboratory to investigate the β decay of neutron-rich nuclei just beyond 208Pb. This paper reports on β-delayed γ decays of 211-213Tl, 215Pb, and 215-219Bi de-exciting states in the daughters 211-213Pb, 215Bi, and 215-219Po. The resulting partial level schemes, proposed with the help of systematics and shell-model calculations, are presented. The role of allowed Gamow-Teller and first-forbidden β transitions in this mass region is discussed. © 2014 American Physical Society.
Measurement of fission products β decay properties using a total absorption spectrometer
2013
In a nuclear reactor, the decay of fission fragments is at the origin of decay heat and antineutrino flux. These quantities are not well known while they are very important for reactor safety and for our understanding of neutrino physics. One reason for the discrepancies observed in the estimation of the decay heat and antineutrinos flux coming from reactors could be linked with the Pandemonium effect. New measurements have been performed at the JYFL facility of Jyvaskyla with a Total Absorption Spectrometer (TAS) in order to circumvent this effect. An overview of the TAS technique and first results from the 2009 measurement campaign will be presented. © Owned by the authors, published by E…
Isospin symmetry in thesdshell: Transition strengths in the neutron-deficientsdshell nucleusAr33
2014
Reduced transition strengths of the deexciting transitions from the first two excited states in 33Ar were measured in a relativistic Coulomb excitation experiment at the GSI Helmholtz center. The radioactive ion beam was produced by fragmentation of a primary 36Ar beam on a 9Be target followed by the selection of the reaction product of interest via the GSI Fragment Separator. The 33Ar beam hit a secondary 197Au target with an energy of approximately 145 MeV/nucleon. An array of high-purity germanium cluster detectors and large-volume BaF2 scintillator detectors were employed for γ -ray spectroscopy at the secondary target position. The Lund-York-Cologne Calorimeter was used to track the ou…
Testing microscopically derived descriptions of nuclear collectivity: Coulomb excitation of Mg-22
2018
Many-body nuclear theory utilizing microscopic or chiral potentials has developed to the point that collectivity might be dealt with in an {\it ab initio} framework without the use of effective charges; for example with the proper evolution of operators, or alternatively, through the use of an appropriate and manageable subset of particle-hole excitations. We present a precise determination of $E2$ strength in $^{22}$Mg and its mirror $^{22}$Ne by Coulomb excitation, allowing for rigorous comparisons with theory. No-core symplectic shell-model calculations were performed and agree with the new $B(E2)$ values while in-medium similarity-renormalization-group calculations consistently underpre…
Total Absorption Study of Beta Decays Relevant for Nuclear Applications and Nuclear Structure
2014
Abstract An overview is given of our activities related to the study of the beta decay of neutron rich nuclei relevant for nuclear applications. Recent results of the study of the beta decay of 87,88 Br using a new segmented total absorption spectrometer are presented. The measurements were performed at the IGISOL facility using trap-assisted total absorption spectroscopy.
Total Absorption Spectroscopy of Fission Fragments Relevant for Reactor Antineutrino Spectra Determination
2015
8 pags., 3 figs., 1 tab. ; Presented at the XXXIV Mazurian Lakes Conference on Physics, Piaski, Poland, September 6–13, 2015.
Total absorption γ -ray spectroscopy of the β -delayed neutron emitters Br87 , Br88 , and Rb94
2017
We investigate the decay of 87,88Br and 94Rb using total absorption γ -ray spectroscopy. These important fission products are β-delayed neutron emitters. Our data show considerable βγ intensity, so far unobserved in high-resolution γ -ray spectroscopy, from states at high excitation energy. We also find significant differences with the β intensity that can be deduced from existing measurements of the β 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 discrepancy between calculations and integral measurements of the photon component for 235U fission at cooling times in the r…
β -decay half-lives and β -delayed neutron emission probabilities for several isotopes of Au, Hg, Tl, Pb, and Bi, beyond N=126
2017
Background: Previous measurements of Beta-delayed neutron emitters comprise around 230 nuclei, spanning from the 8He up to 150La. Apart from 210Tl, with a minuscule branching ratio of 0.07%, 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 195. Purpose: To measure both, Beta-decay half-lives and neutron branching ratios of several neutron-rich Au, Hg, Tl, Pb and Bi isotopes beyond N = 126. Method: Ions of interest are produced by fragmentation of a 238U beam, selected and identifed via the GSI-FRS fra…
Total Absorption Spectroscopy Study ofRb92Decay: A Major Contributor to Reactor Antineutrino Spectrum Shape
2015
The antineutrino spectra measured in recent experiments at reactors are inconsistent with calculations based on the conversion of integral beta spectra recorded at the ILL reactor. (92)Rb makes the dominant contribution to the reactor antineutrino spectrum in the 5-8 MeV range but its decay properties are in question. We have studied (92)Rb decay with total absorption spectroscopy. Previously unobserved beta feeding was seen in the 4.5-5.5 region and the GS to GS feeding was found to be 87.5(25)%. The impact on the reactor antineutrino spectra calculated with the summation method is shown and discussed.
Beta Decay Studies of Neutron Rich Nuclei Using Total Absorption Gamma-ray Spectroscopy and Delayed Neutron Measurements
2010
International audience; A complete characterisation of the β-decay of neutron-rich nuclei can be obtained from the measurement of β-delayed gamma rays and, whenever the process is energetically possible, β-delayed neutrons. The accurate determination of the β-intensity distribution and the β-delayed neutron emission probability is of great relevance in the fields of reactor technology and nuclear astrophysics. A programme for combined measurements using the total absorption gamma-ray spectroscopy technique and both neutron counters and neutron time-of-flight spectrometers is presented.
Isomeric decay spectroscopy of theBi217isotope
2014
The structure of the neutron-rich bismuth isotope 217Bi has been studied for the first time. The fragmentation of a primary 238U beam at the FRS-RISING setup at GSI was exploited to perform γ-decay spectroscopy, since μs isomeric states were expected in this nucleus. Gamma rays following the decay of a t1/2=3 μs isomer were observed, allowing one to establish the low-lying structure of 217Bi. The level energies and the reduced electric quadrupole transition probability B(E2) from the isomeric state are compared to large-scale shell-model calculations.
β-delayed neutron emission measurements around the third r-process abundance peak
2013
This contribution summarizes an experiment performed at GSI (Germany) in the neutron-rich region beyond N=126. The aim of this measurement is to provide the nuclear physics input of relevance for r-process model calculations, aiming at a better understanding of the third r-process abundance peak. Many exotic nuclei were measured around 211Hg and 215Tl. Final ion identification diagrams are given in this contribution. For most of them, we expect to derive halflives and and β-delayed neutron emission probabilities. The detectors used in this experiment were the Silicon IMplantation and Beta Absorber (SIMBA) detector, based on an array of highly segmented silicon detectors, and the BEta deLayE…
Enhancedγ-Ray Emission from Neutron Unbound States Populated inβDecay
2015
Total absorption spectroscopy is used to investigate the β-decay intensity to states above the neutron separation energy followed by γ-ray emission in (87,88)Br and (94)Rb. Accurate results are obtained thanks to a careful control of systematic errors. An unexpectedly large γ intensity is observed in all three cases extending well beyond the excitation energy region where neutron penetration is hindered by low neutron energy. The γ branching as a function of excitation energy is compared to Hauser-Feshbach model calculations. For (87)Br and (88)Br the γ branching reaches 57% and 20%, respectively, and could be explained as a nuclear structure effect. Some of the states populated in the daug…
New μs Isomers in the Neutron-rich 210Hg Nucleus
2013
Neutron-rich nuclei in the lead region, beyond N = 126, have been studied at the FRS-RISING setup at GSI, exploiting the fragmentation of a primary uranium beam. Two isomeric states have been identified in Hg-210: the 8(+) isomer expected from the seniority scheme in the vg(9/2) shell and a second one at low spin and low excitation energy. The decay strength of the 8(+) isomer confirms the need of effective three-body forces in the case of neutron-rich lead isotopes. The other unexpected low-lying isomer has been tentatively assigned as a 3(-) state, although this is in contrast with theoretical expectations. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
High-spin structure of Xe134
2016
A. Vogt et al. ; 12 págs.; 9 figs.; 1 tab.
In-beam γ -ray spectroscopy of the neutron-rich platinum isotope Pt200 toward the N=126 shell gap
2017
The neutron-rich nucleus \nucleus{200}{Pt} is investigated via in-beam \gamma-ray spectroscopy in order to study the shape evolution in the neutron-rich platinum isotopes towards the N = 126 shell closure. The two-neutron transfer reaction \nucleus{198}{Pt}(\nucleus{82}{Se}, \nucleus{80}{Se})\nucleus{200}{Pt} is used to populate excited states of \nucleus{200}{Pt}. The Advanced Gamma Ray Tracking Array (AGATA) demonstrator coupled with the PRISMA spectrometer detects \gamma rays coincident with the \nucleus{80}{Se} recoils, the binary partner of \nucleus{200}{Pt}. The binary partner method is applied to extract the \gamma-ray transitions and build the level scheme of \nucleus{200}{Pt}. The …
Trap-assisted separation of nuclear states for gamma-ray spectroscopy: the example of100Nb
2011
Low-lying levels in 100Mo are known to be populated by beta decay from both the ground and isomeric states in 100Nb. The small energy difference (~3 ppm) between the two parent states and the similarity of their half-lives make it difficult to distinguish experimentally between the two decay paths. A new technique for separating different states of nuclei has recently been developed in a series of experiments at the IGISOL facility, using the JYFLTRAP installation, at the University of Jyvaskyla where mass resolution ~2 ppm was achieved in mass measurements and in the production of 133mXe. This paper reports on the extension of this technique to allow the separate study of the gamma-ray dec…
β-decay and β-delayed Neutron Emission Measurements at GSI-FRS Beyond N=126, for r-process Nucleosynthesis
2014
New measurements of very exotic nuclei in the neutron-rich region beyond N=126 have been performed at the GSI facility with the fragment separator (FRS). The aim of the experiment is to determine half-lives and β-delayed neutron emission branching ratios of isotopes of Hg, Tl and Pb in this region. This contribution summarizes final counting statistics for identification and for implantation, as well as the present status of the data analysis of the half-lives. In summary, isotopes of Pt, Au, Hg, Tl, Pb, Bi, Po, At, Rn and Fr were clearly identified and several of them (208-211Hg, 211-215Tl, 214-218Pb) were implanted with enough statistics to determine their half-lives. About half of them a…
The observation of vibrating pear-shapes in radon nuclei
2019
6 pags., 4 fig.s, 1 tab. -- Open Access funded by Creative Commons Atribution Licence 4.0
Study of isomeric states in $^{198,200,202,206}$Pb and $^{206}$Hg populated in fragmentation reactions
2018
International audience; Isomeric states in isotopes in the vicinity of doubly-magic 208Pb were populatedfollowing reactions of a relativistic 208Pb primary beam impinging on a9Be fragmentation target. Secondary beams of 198,200,202,206Pb and 206Hg wereisotopically separated and implanted in a passive stopper positioned in thefocal plane of the GSI Fragment Separator. Delayed γ rays were detected withthe Advanced Gamma Tracking Array (AGATA). Decay schemes were reevaluatedand interpreted with shell-model calculations. The momentumdependentpopulation of isomeric states in the two-nucleon hole nuclei206Pb/206Hg was found to differ from the population of multi neutron-holeisomeric states in 198…
Total absorption spectroscopy study of the β decay of Br86 and Rb91
2017
The beta decays of 86Br and 91Rb have been studied using the total absorption spectroscopy technique. The radioactive nuclei were produced at the IGISOL facility in Jyvaskyla and further purified using the JYFLTRAP. 86Br and 91Rb are considered high priority contributors to the decay heat in reactors. In addition 91Rb was used as a normalization point in direct measurements of mean gamma energies released in the beta decay of fission products by Rudstam et al. assuming that this decay was well known from high-resolution measurements. Our results shows that both decays were suffering from the Pandemonium effect and that the results of Rudstam et al. should be renormalized.
Coulomb excitation of the |Tz|=1/2, A=23 mirror pair
2022
Background: Electric-quadrupole (E2) strengths relate to the underlying quadrupole deformation of a nucleus and present a challenge for many nuclear theories. Mirror nuclei in the vicinity of the line of N=Z represent a convenient laboratory for testing deficiencies in such models, making use of the isospin symmetry of the systems. Purpose: Uncertainties associated with literature E2 strengths in 23Mg are some of the largest in Tz=∣∣12∣∣ nuclei in the sd shell. The purpose of the present paper is to improve the precision with which these values are known, to enable better comparison with theoretical models. Methods: Coulomb-excitation measurements of 23Mg and 23Na were performed at the TRIU…
Total Absorption Spectroscopy Study of $^{92}$Rb Decay: A Major Contributor to Reactor Antineutrino Spectrum Shape
2015
The antineutrino spectra measured in recent experiments at reactors are inconsistent with calculations based on the conversion of integral beta spectra recorded at the ILL reactor. $^{92}$Rb makes the dominant contribution to the reactor spectrum in the 5-8 MeV range but its decay properties are in question. We have studied $^{92}$Rb decay with total absorption spectroscopy. Previously unobserved beta feeding was seen in the 4.5-5.5 region and the GS to GS feeding was found to be 87.5(25)%. The impact on the reactor antineutrino spectra calculated with the summation method is shown and discussed.
Isospin symmetry in $B(E2)$ values: Coulomb excitation study of ${}^{21}$Mg
2018
The $T_z$~=~$-\frac{3}{2}$ nucleus ${}^{21}$Mg has been studied by Coulomb excitation on ${}^{196}$Pt and ${}^{110}$Pd targets. A 205.6(1)-keV $\gamma$-ray transition resulting from the Coulomb excitation of the $\frac{5}{2}^+$ ground state to the first excited $\frac{1}{2}^+$ state in ${}^{21}$Mg was observed for the first time. Coulomb excitation cross-section measurements with both targets and a measurement of the half-life of the $\frac{1}{2}^+$ state yield an adopted value of $B(E2;\frac{5}{2}^+\rightarrow\frac{1}{2}^+)$~=~13.3(4)~W.u. A new excited state at 1672(1)~keV with tentative $\frac{9}{2}^+$ assignment was also identified in ${}^{21}$Mg. This work demonstrates large difference…
Total absorption γ-ray spectroscopy of the β-delayed neutron emitters 87Br, 88Br, and 94Rb
2017
We investigate the decay of 87,88Br and 94Rb using total absorption γ -ray spectroscopy. These important fission products are β-delayed neutron emitters. Our data show considerable βγ intensity, so far unobserved in high-resolution γ -ray spectroscopy, from states at high excitation energy. We also find significant differences with the β intensity that can be deduced from existing measurements of the β 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 discrepancy between calculations and integral measurements of the photon component for 235U fission at cooling times in the r…
Coulomb excitation of Rn-222
2022
The nature of quadrupole and octupole collectivity in 222Rn was investigated by determining the electric-quadrupole (E2) and octupole (E3) matrix elements using subbarrier, multistep Coulomb excitation. The radioactive 222Rn beam, accelerated to 4.23 MeV/u, was provided by the HIE-ISOLDE facility at CERN. Data were collected in the Miniball γ-ray spectrometer following the bombardment of two targets, 120Sn and 60Ni. Transition E2 matrix elements within the ground-state and octupole bands were measured up to 10ℏ and the results were consistent with a constant intrinsic electric-quadrupole moment, 518(11)efm2. The values of the intrinsic electric-octupole moment for the 0+→3− and 2+→5− transi…
Lifetime measurements of yrast states in ¹⁷⁸ Pt using the charge plunger method with a recoil separator
2021
Abstract Lifetime measurements in \(^{178}\)Pt with excited states de-exciting through \(\gamma\)-ray transitions and internal electron conversions have been performed. Ionic charges were selected by the in-flight mass separator MARA and measured at the focal plane in coincidence with the \(4^{+}_{1}→2^{+}_{1}\) 257 keV γ-ray transition detected using the JUROGAM 3 spectrometer. The resulting charge-state distributions were analysed using the differential decay curve method (DDCM) framework to obtain a lifetime value of 430(20) ps for the \(2^{+}_{1}\) state. This work builds on a method that combines the charge plunger technique with the DDCM analysis. As an alternative analysis, ions were…
Coulomb excitation of the $\left|T_z\right|=\frac{1}{2}$, $A=23$ mirror pair
2020
Background: Electric-quadrupole ($E2$) strengths relate to the underlying quadrupole deformation of a nucleus and present a challenge for many nuclear theories. Mirror nuclei in the vicinity of the line of $N=Z$ represent a convenient laboratory for testing deficiencies in such models, making use of the isospin-symmetry of the systems. Purpose: Uncertainties associated with literature $E2$ strengths in \textsuperscript{23}Mg are some of the largest in $T_z=\left|\frac{1}{2}\right|$ nuclei in the $sd$-shell. The purpose of the present work is to improve the precision with which these values are known, to enable better comparison with theoretical models. Methods: Coulomb-excitation measuremen…
Total Absorption Spectroscopy of Fission Fragments Relevant for Reactor Antineutrino Spectra and Decay Heat Calculations
2016
Beta decay of fission products is at the origin of decay heat and antineutrino emission in nuclear reactors. Decay heat represents about 7% of the reactor power during operation and strongly impacts reactor safety. Reactor antineutrino detection is used in several fundamental neutrino physics experiments and it can also be used for reactor monitoring and non-proliferation purposes. 92,93Rb are two fission products of importance in reactor antineutrino spectra and decay heat, but their β-decay properties are not well known. New measurements of 92,93Rb β-decay properties have been performed at the IGISOL facility (Jyväskylä, Finland) using Total Absorption Spectroscopy (TAS). TAS is complemen…
A charge plunger device to measure the lifetimes of excited nuclear states where transitions are dominated by internal conversion
2020
A charge plunger device has been commissioned based on the DPUNS plunger (Taylor et al., 2013) using the in-flight mass separator MARA at the University of Jyväskylä. The 152Sm(32S,4n)180Pt reaction was used to populate excited states in 180Pt. A lifetime measurement of the 21+ state was performed by applying the charge plunger technique, which relies on the detection of the charge state-distribution of recoils rather than the detection of the emitted γ rays. This state was a good candidate to test the charge plunger technique as it has a known lifetime and depopulates through a converted transition that competes strongly with γ-ray emission. The lifetime of the 21+ state was measured to be…
Enhanced Gamma-Ray Emission from Neutron Unbound States Populated in Beta Decay
2015
International audience; Total absorption spectroscopy was used to investigate the beta-decay intensity to states above the neutron separation energy followed by gamma-ray emission in 87,88Br and 94Rb. Accurate results were obtained thanks to a careful control of systematic errors. An unexpectedly large gamma intensity was observed in all three cases extending well beyond the excitation energy region where neutron penetration is hindered by low neutron energy. The gamma branching as a function of excitation energy was compared to Hauser-Feshbach model calculations. For 87Br and 88Br the gamma branching reaches 57% and 20% respectively, and could be explained as a nuclear structure effect. So…
βdecay of102Y produced in projectile fission of238U
2012
The population of 102Zr following the β decay of 102Y produced in the projectile fission of 238U at the GSI facility in Darmstadt, Germany has been studied. 102Y is known to ß decay into 102Zr via two states, one of high spin and the other low spin. These states preferentially populate different levels in the 102Zr daughter. In this paper the intensities of transitions in 102Zr observed are compared with those from the decay of the low-spin level studied at the TRISTAN facility at Brookhaven National Laboratory and of the high-spin level studied at the JOSEF separator at the Kernforschungsanlage Jülich.
r Process (n, γ) Rate Constraints from the γ Emission of Neutron Unbound States in β decay
2017
Total absorption gamma-ray spectroscopy is used to measure accurately the intensity of γγ emission from neutron-unbound states populated in the ββ-decay of delayed-neutron emitters. From the comparison of this intensity with the intensity of neutron emission a constraint on the (n, γγ) cross section for highly unstable neutron-rich nuclei can be deduced. A surprisingly large γγ branching was observed for a number of isotopes which might indicate the need to increase by a large factor the Hauser-Feshbach (n, γγ) cross-section estimates that impact on r process abundance calculations. peerReviewed
Improved measurement of the 02+→01+ E0 transition strength for 72Se using the SPICE spectrometer
2022
The selenium isotopes lie at the heart of a tumultuous region of the nuclear chart where shape coexistence effects grapple with neutron-proton pairing correlations, triaxiality, and the impending proton drip line. In this work, a study of 72Se by internal conversion electron and γ-ray spectroscopy was undertaken with the SPICE and TIGRESS arrays. New measurements of the branching ratio and lifetime of the 02+ state were performed, yielding a determination of ρ2(E0;02+→01+)=29(3) milliunits. Two-state mixing calculations were performed that highlighted the importance of interpretation of such E0 strength values in the context of shape coexistence. peerReviewed
Testing microscopically derived descriptions of nuclear collectivity: Coulomb excitation of Mg
2018
Many-body nuclear theory utilizing microscopic or chiral potentials has developed to the point that collectivity might be studied within a microscopic or ab initio framework without the use of effective charges; for example with the proper evolution of the E2 operator, or alternatively, through the use of an appropriate and manageable subset of particle–hole excitations. We present a precise determination of E2 strength in 22Mg and its mirror 22Ne by Coulomb excitation, allowing for rigorous comparisons with theory. No-core symplectic shell-model calculations were performed and agree with the new B(E2) values while in-medium similarity-renormalization-group calculations consistently underpr…
Coulomb excitation of 222Rn
2022
International audience; The nature of quadrupole and octupole collectivity in $^{222}$Rn was investigated by determining the electric-quadrupole (E2) and octupole (E3) matrix elements using subbarrier, multistep Coulomb excitation. The radioactive $^{222}$Rn beam, accelerated to 4.23 MeV/u, was provided by the HIE-ISOLDE facility at CERN. Data were collected in the Miniball $\gamma$ -ray spectrometer following the bombardment of two targets, $^{120}$Sn and $^{60}$Ni. Transition E2 matrix elements within the ground-state and octupole bands were measured up to 10 ¯h and the results were consistent with a constant intrinsic electric-quadrupole moment, 518(11) $e$ fm$^2$ . The values of the int…