Measurement of the $2^+\rightarrow 0^+$ ground-state transition in the $\beta$ decay of $^{20}$F

We report the first detection of the second-forbidden, non-unique, $2^+\rightarrow 0^+$, ground-state transition in the $\beta$ decay of $^{20}$F. A low-energy, mass-separated $^{20}\rm{F}^+$ beam produced at the IGISOL facility in Jyv\"askyl\"a, Finland, was implanted in a thin carbon foil and the $\beta$ spectrum measured using a magnetic transporter and a plastic-scintillator detector. The $\beta$-decay branching ratio inferred from the measurement is $b_{\beta} = [ 0.41\pm 0.08\textrm{(stat)}\pm 0.07\textrm{(sys)}] \times 10^{-5}$ corresponding to $\log ft = 10.89(11)$, making this one of the strongest second-forbidden, non-unique $\beta$ transitions ever measured. The experimental resu…

Experimental study of $^{100}$Tc $\beta$ decay with total absorption $\gamma$-ray spectroscopy

International audience; The β decay of Tc100 has been studied by using the total absorption γ-ray spectroscopy technique at the Ion Guide Isotope Separator On-Line facility in Jyväskylä. In this work the new Decay Total Absorption γ-ray Spectrometer in coincidence with a cylindrical plastic β detector has been employed. The β intensity to the ground state obtained from the analysis is in good agreement with previous high-resolution measurements. However, differences in the feeding to the first-excited state as well as weak feeding to a new level at high excitation energy have been deduced from this experiment. Theoretical calculations performed in the quasiparticle random-phase approximatio…

Measurement of the 2+--0+ ground-state transition in the ß decay of 20F

12 pags., 16 figs., 4 tabs.

Measurement of the 2+→0+ ground-state transition in the β decay of 20F

We report the first detection of the second-forbidden, nonunique, 2+→0+, ground-state transition in the β decay of 20F. A low-energy, mass-separated 20F+ beam produced at the IGISOL facility in Jyväskylä, Finland, was implanted in a thin carbon foil and the β spectrum measured using a magnetic transporter and a plastic-scintillator detector. The β-decay branching ratio inferred from the measurement is bβ=[0.41±0.08(stat)±0.07(sys)]×10−5 corresponding to logft=10.89(11), making this one of the strongest second-forbidden, nonunique β transitions ever measured. The experimental result is supported by shell-model calculations and has significant implications for the final evolution of stars tha…

β - and γ -spectroscopy study of Pd119 and Ag119

VADER: A novel decay station for actinide spectroscopy

Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research / B 540, 148 - 150 (2023). doi:10.1016/j.nimb.2023.04.021

Total absorption γ-ray spectroscopy of the β decays of 96gs,mY

The β decays of the ground state (gs) and isomeric state (m) of 96Y have been studied with the total absorption γ-ray spectroscopy technique at the Ion Guide Isotope Separator On-Line facility. The separation of the 8+ isomeric state from the 0− ground state was achieved thanks to the purification capabilities of the JYFLTRAP double Penning trap system. The β-intensity distributions of both decays have been independently determined. In the analyses the deexcitation of the 1581.6 keV level in 96Zr, in which conversion electron emission competes with pair production, has been carefully considered and found to have significant impact on the β-detector efficiency, influencing the β-intensity di…

Determination of β-decay ground state feeding of nuclei of importance for reactor applications

In β-decay studies the determination of the decay probability to the ground state (g.s.) of the daughter nucleus often suffers from large systematic errors. The difficulty of the measurement is related to the absence of associated delayed γ-ray emission. In this work we revisit the 4πγ−β method proposed by Greenwood and collaborators in the 1990s, which has the potential to overcome some of the experimental difficulties. Our interest is driven by the need to determine accurately the β-intensity distributions of fission products that contribute significantly to the reactor decay heat and to the antineutrinos emitted by reactors. A number of such decays have large g.s. branches. The method is…

Precision mass measurements of $^{67}$Fe and $^{69,70}$Co : Nuclear structure toward N=40 and impact on r -process reaction rates

International audience; Accurate mass measurements of neutron-rich iron and cobalt isotopes Fe67 and Co69,70 have been realized with the JYFLTRAP double Penning-trap mass spectrometer. With novel ion-manipulation techniques, the masses of the Co69,70 ground states and the 1/2− isomer in Co69 have been extracted for the first time. The measurements remove ambiguities in the previous mass values and yield a smoother trend on the mass surface, extending it beyond N=40. The moderate N=40 subshell gap has been found to weaken below Ni68, a region known for shape coexistence and increased collectivity. The excitation energy for the 1/2− intruder state in Co69 has been determined for the first tim…

Low-spin excitations in 89Br populated in β−decay of 89Se

Low-spin, excited states of the 89Br nucleus, populated in β− decay of 89Se have been studied for the first time. The 89Se nuclei were produced in proton-induced fission of natural thorium using the IGISOL facility and separated using a dipole magnet and the coupled JYFLTRAP Penning trap. Gamma radiation following the β− decay of 89Se was measured with an array of high-resolution germanium detectors. Levels scheme of 89Br was extended by 12 new levels and 31 new γ transitions. Spin-parity (3/2+) has been proposed for the ground state of the 89Se mother nucleus, replacing the (5/2+) assignment reported in data bases. The observed Gamow-Teller β− transition to the 1754.5-keV level indicates a…

Study of the $��$-decay of $^{100}$Tc with Total Absorption $��$-Ray Spectroscopy

The \b{eta}-decay of 100 Tc has been studied using the Total Absorption ��-Ray Spectroscopy technique at IGISOL. In this work the new DTAS spectrometer in coincidence with a cylindrical plastic \b{eta} detector has been employed. The \b{eta}-intensity to the ground state obtained from the analysis is in good agreement with previous high-resolution measurements. However, differences in the feeding to the first excited state as well as weak feeding to a new level at high excitation energy have been deduced from this experiment. Theoretical calculations performed in the quasiparticle random- phase approximation (QRPA) framework are also reported. Comparison of these calculations with our measu…

Results of DTAS Campaign at IGISOL : Overview

The β decays of more than twenty fission fragments were measured in the first experiments with radioactive-ion beams employing the Decay Total Absorption γ-ray Spectrometer. In this work, we summarize the main results obtained so far from this experimental campaign carried out at the Ion Guide Isotope Separator On-Line facility. The advances introduced for these studies represent the state-of-the-art of our analysis methodology for segmented spectrometers. peerReviewed

High-resolution, accurate MR-TOF-MS for short-lived, exotic nuclei of few events in their ground and low-lying isomeric states

Mass measurements of fission and projectile fragments, produced via $^{238}$U and $^{124}$Xe primary beams, have been performed with the multiple-reflection time-of-flight mass spectrometer (MR-TOF-MS) of the FRS Ion Catcher with a mass resolving powers (FWHM) up to 410,000 and an uncertainty of $6\cdot 10^{-8}$. The nuclides were produced and separated in-flight with the fragment separator FRS at 300 to 1000 MeV/u and thermalized in a cryogenic stopping cell. The data-analysis procedure was developed to determine with highest accuracy the mass values and the corresponding uncertainties for the most challenging conditions: down to a few events in a spectrum and overlapping distributions, ch…

Precision mass measurements of Fe 67 and Co 69 , 70 : Nuclear structure toward N = 40 and impact on r -process reaction rates

Study of the $\beta$-decay of $^{100}$Tc with Total Absorption $\gamma$-Ray Spectroscopy

The \b{eta}-decay of 100 Tc has been studied using the Total Absorption {\gamma}-Ray Spectroscopy technique at IGISOL. In this work the new DTAS spectrometer in coincidence with a cylindrical plastic \b{eta} detector has been employed. The \b{eta}-intensity to the ground state obtained from the analysis is in good agreement with previous high-resolution measurements. However, differences in the feeding to the first excited state as well as weak feeding to a new level at high excitation energy have been deduced from this experiment. Theoretical calculations performed in the quasiparticle random- phase approximation (QRPA) framework are also reported. Comparison of these calculations with our…

β- and γ-spectroscopy study of 119Pd and 119Ag

Neutron-rich 119Pd nuclei were produced in fission of natural uranium, induced by 25-MeV protons. Fission fragments swiftly extracted with the Ion Guide Isotope Separation On-Line method were mass separated using a dipole magnet and a Penning trap, providing mono-isotopic samples of 119Pd. Their β− decay was measured with γγ- and βγ-spectroscopy methods using low-energy germanium detectors and a thin plastic scintillator. Two distinct nuclear-level structures were observed in 119Ag, based on the 1/2− and 7/2+ isomers reported previously. The β−-decay work was complemented by a prompt-γ study of levels in 119Ag populated in spontaneous fission of 252Cf, performed using the Gammasphere array …

Penning-trap-assisted study of excitations in $^{88}$Br populated in β decay of $^{88}$Se

Excited levels of 88Br populated in the β decay of 88Se have been studied by means of βγ and γ γ spectroscopy methods. Neutron-rich parent 88Se nuclei were produced with proton-induced fission of 238U using the Ion Guide Isotope Separator On-Line (IGISOL) method and separated from contaminants using a dipole magnet and the coupled JYFLTRAP Penning trap at the Accelerator Laboratory of the University of Jyvaskyl ¨ a. The level scheme ¨ of 88Br has been constructed and log f t values of levels were determined. The ground-state spin of 88Br is now firmly determined to be 1−. Low-energy levels in 88Br were interpreted as members of the πp3/2(νd5/2) 3, πp−1 3/2(νd5/2) 3, πf −1 5/2 (νd5/2) 3, and…

Total absorption γ-ray spectroscopy of the β-delayed neutron emitters 137I and 95Rb

The decays of the β-delayed neutron emitters 137I and 95Rb 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 18 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 differences between prompt γ rays and delayed neutron interactions to eliminate this source of contamination. Due to the s…

Impact of Nuclear Deformation and Pairing on the Charge Radii of Palladium Isotopes.

International audience; The impact of nuclear deformation can been seen in the systematics of nuclear charge radii, with radii generally expanding with increasing deformation. In this Letter, we present a detailed analysis of the precise relationship between nuclear quadrupole deformation and the nuclear size. Our approach combines the first measurements of the changes in the mean-square charge radii of well-deformed palladium isotopes between A=98 and A=118 with nuclear density functional calculations using Fayans functionals, specifically Fy(std) and Fy(Δr,HFB), and the UNEDF2 functional. The changes in mean-square charge radii are extracted from collinear laser spectroscopy measurements …

Offline commissioning of a new gas cell for the MARA Low-Energy Branch

Results of offline commissioning tests for a new dedicated gas cell for the Mass Analysing Recoil Apparatus (MARA) Low-Energy Branch are reported. Evacuation time, ion survival and transport efficiency in helium buffer gas were characterized with a radioactive 223Ra 𝛼-recoil source. Suppression of the ion signal, originating from non-neutralized species in the gas cell, was explored with 219Rn ions, the daughter recoil of 223Ra, as a function of voltage applied to one of the ion-collector electrodes. Two-step laser resonance ionization of stable tin isotopes produced inside the gas cell from a heated bronze filament was demonstrated, and broadening of the atomic resonances in argon buffer …

Odd-odd neutron-rich rhodium isotopes studied with the double Penning trap JYFLTRAP

Precision mass measurements of neutron-rich rhodium isotopes have been performed at the JYFLTRAP Penning trap mass spectrometer at the Ion Guide Isotope Separator On-Line (IGISOL) facility. We report results on ground- and isomeric-state masses in $^{110,112,114,116,118}$Rh and the very first mass measurement of $^{120}$Rh. The isomeric states were separated and measured for the first time using the phase-imaging ion-cyclotron-resonance (PI-ICR) technique. For $^{112}$Rh, we also report new half-lives for both the ground state and the isomer. The results are compared to theoretical predictions using the BSkG1 mass model and discussed in terms of triaxial deformation.

Excited states in 87Br populated in β decay of 87Se

Excited levels in 87Br, populated in β decay of 87Se, have been studied by means of γ-ray spectroscopy using an array of broad energy Ge detectors. 87Se nuclei were produced by irradiating a natural Th target with 25-MeV protons. Fission products were extracted from the target chamber using the IGISOL technique, then separated on a dipole magnet and Penning trap (JYFLTRAP) setup. The scheme of excited levels of 87Br has been significantly extended. 114 new transitions and 51 new levels were established. β feedings and log(ft) values of levels were determined. The upper limit for β feeding to the ground state of 87Br was determined to be 23(5)%. Ground state spin and parity 5/2− was confirme…

Measurement of the 2+→0+ ground-state transition in the β decay of F 20

| openaire: EC/H2020/654002/EU//ENSAR2 We report the first detection of the second-forbidden, nonunique, 2(+) -> 0(+), ground-state transition in the beta decay of F-20. A low-energy, mass-separated F-20(+) beam produced at the IGISOL facility in Jyvaskyla, Finland, was implanted in a thin carbon foil and the beta spectrum measured using a magnetic transporter and a plastic-scintillator detector. The beta-decay branching ratio inferred from the measurement is b(beta) = [0.41 +/- 0.08(stat) +/- 0.07(sys)] x 10(-5) corresponding to log ft = 10.89(11), making this one of the strongest second-forbidden, nonunique beta transitions ever measured. The experimental result is supported by shell-mode…

Measurement of the 2 + → 0 + ground-state transition in the β decay of F 20

Novel Penning-trap techniques reveal isomeric states in $^{128}$In and $^{130}$In for the first time

Isomeric states in $^{128}$In and $^{130}$In have been studied with the JYFLTRAP Penning trap at the IGISOL facility. By employing novel ion manipulation techniques, different states were separated and masses of six beta-decaying states were measured. JYFLTRAP was also used to select the ions of interest for identification at a post-trap decay spectroscopy station. A new beta-decaying high-spin isomer feeding the $15^-$ isomer in $^{128}$Sn has been discovered in $^{128}$In at $1797.6(20)$ keV. Shell-model calculations employing a CD-Bonn potential re-normalized with the perturbative G-matrix approach suggest this new isomer to be a $16^+$ spin-trap isomer. In $^{130}$In, the lowest-lying $…

First β-decay scheme of 107Nb : New insight into the low-energy levels of 107Mo

Monoisotopic samples of 107Nb nuclei, produced in the proton-induced fission of 238U and separated using the IGISOL mass separator coupled to a Penning trap, were used to perform β- and γ-coincidence spectroscopy of 107Mo. Gamma transitions and excited levels in 107Mo were observed in β decay for the first time. Spin and parity 1/2+ for the ground state of 107Mo is proposed, to replace the previous 5/2+ assignment. The experimental β-decay half-life of 107Nb was estimated to be 0.27±0.02 s. peerReviewed

Three beta-decaying states in In and In resolved for the first time using Penning-trap techniques

Isomeric states in $^{128}$In and $^{130}$In have been studied with the JYFLTRAP Penning trap at the IGISOL facility. By employing state-of-the-art ion manipulation techniques, three different beta-decaying states in $^{128}$In and $^{130}$In have been separated and their masses measured. JYFLTRAP was also used to select the ions of interest for identification at a post-trap decay spectroscopy station. A new beta-decaying high-spin isomer feeding the 15− isomer in $^{128}$Sn has been discovered in $^{128}$In at 1797.6(20) keV. Shell-model calculations employing a CD-Bonn potential re-normalized with the perturbative G-matrix approach suggest this new isomer to be a 16+ spin-trap isomer. In …

β - and γ -spectroscopy study of Pd 119 and Ag 119

Precision mass measurements of 67Fe and 69,70Co: Nuclear structure toward N = 40 and impact on r-process reaction rates

Accurate mass measurements of neutron-rich iron and cobalt isotopes 67Fe and 69,70Co have been realized with the JYFLTRAP double Penning-trap mass spectrometer. With novel ion-manipulation techniques, the masses of the 69,70Co ground states and the 1/2− isomer in 69Co have been extracted for the first time. The measurements remove ambiguities in the previous mass values and yield a smoother trend on the mass surface, extending it beyond N=40. The moderate N=40 subshell gap has been found to weaken below 68Ni, a region known for shape coexistence and increased collectivity. The excitation energy for the 1/2− intruder state in 69Co has been determined for the first time and is compared to lar…

Benchmark of a multi-physics Monte Carlo simulation of an ionguide for neutron-induced fission products

AbstractTo enhance the production of medium-heavy, neutron-rich nuclei, and to facilitate measurements of independent yields of neutron-induced fission, a proton-to-neutron converter and a dedicated ion guide for neutron-induced fission have been developed for the IGISOL facility at the University of Jyväskylä. The ion guide holds the fissionable targets, and the fission products emerging from the targets are collected in helium gas and transported to the downstream experimental stations. A computer model, based on a combination of MCNPX for modeling the neutron production, the fission code GEF, and GEANT4 for the transport of the fission products, was developed. The model will be used to i…

Mass measurements towards doubly magic Ni-78 : Hydrodynamics versus nuclear mass contribution in core-collapse supernovae

International audience; We report the first high-precision mass measurements of the neutron-rich nuclei 74,75Ni and the clearly identified ground state of 76Cu, along with a more precise mass-excess value of 78Cu, performed with the double Penning trap JYFLTRAP at the Ion Guide Isotope Separator On-Line (IGISOL) facility. These new results lead to a quantitative estimation of the quenching for the N=50 neutron shell gap. The impact of this shell quenching on core-collapse supernova dynamics is specifically tested using a dedicated statistical equilibrium approach that allows a variation of the mass model independent of the other microphysical inputs. We conclude that the impact of nuclear m…