0000000000263970
AUTHOR
J. S. Winfield
Multi-nucleon transfer reactions at ion catcher facilities : a new way to produce and study heavy neutron-rich nuclei
Abstract The production of very neutron-rich nuclides heavier than fission fragments is an ongoing experimental challenge. Multi-nucleon transfer reactions (MNT) have been suggested as a method to produce these nuclides. By thermalizing the reaction products in gas-filled stopping cells, we can deliver them as cooled high-quality beams to decay, laser and mass spectrometry experiments. High precision mass spectrometry will allow for the first time to universally and unambiguously identify the atomic and proton numbers of the ions produced in MNT reactions. In this way their ground and isomeric state properties can be studied in high-precision measurements. In experiments at IGISOL, Finland …
First Measurement of Severalβ-Delayed Neutron Emitting Isotopes BeyondN=126
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.
Rate capability of a cryogenic stopping cell for uranium projectile fragments produced at 1000 MeV/u
At the Low-Energy Branch (LEB) of the Super-FRS at FAIR, projectile and fission fragments will be produced at relativistic energies, separated in-flight, energy-bunched, slowed down and thermalized in a cryogenic stopping cell (CSC) filled with ultra-pure He gas. The fragments are extracted from the stopping cell using a combination of DC and RF electric fields and gas flow. A prototype CSC for the LEB has been developed and successfully commissioned at the FRS Ion Catcher at GSI. Ionization of He buffer gas atoms during the stopping of energetic ions creates a region of high space charge in the stopping cell. The space charge decreases the extraction efficiency of stopping cells since the …
Approaching the precursor nuclei of the third r-process peak with RIBs
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 …
Production of Exotic Nuclei via MNT Reactions Using Gas Cells
The use of multi-nucleon transfer (MNT) reactions to produce neutron-rich nuclei in the heavy region has received an increased attention in the last decade. The feasibility of employing such reactions at the FRS Ion Catcher facility at GSI and the IGISOL facility at JYFL is studied using a combination of theoretical calculations and experiment simulations. The reactions are computed within a Langevin-type model, and the Geant program is used to simulate the transport of the resulting products within the experimental setups of the above-mentioned facilities. The angular distribution of ion release, possible target choices and target-to-beam-dump distances are discussed. peerReviewed
Crossing the dripline to11Nusing elastic resonance scattering
The level structure of the unbound nucleus N-11 has been studied by C-10+p elastic resonance scattering in inverse geometry with the LISE3 spectrometer at GANIL, using a C-10 beam with an energy of 9.0 MeV/ nucleon. An additional measurement was done at the A1200 spectrometer at MSU. The excitation function above the C-10+p threshold has been determined up to 5 MeV. A potential-model analysis revealed three resonance states at energies 1.27(-0.05)(+0.18) MeV (Gamma = 1.44 +/- 0.2 MeV), 2.01(-0.05)(+0.15) MeV (Gamma = 0.84 +/- 0.2 MeV), and 3.75 +/- 0.05 MeV (Gamma = 0.60 +/- 0.05 MeV) with the spin-parity assignments I-pi=1/2+,1/2,-,5/2+, respectively. Hence, N-11 is shown to have a ground …
The FRS Ion Catcher
At the FRS Ion Catcher at GSI, projectile and fission fragments are produced at relativistic energies, separated in-flight, range-focused, slowed down and thermalized in a cryogenic stopping cell. A multiple-reflection time-of-flight mass spectrometer (MR-TOF-MS) is used to perform direct mass measurements and to provide an isobarically clean beam for further experiments, such as mass-selected decay spectroscopy. A versatile RF quadrupole transport and diagnostics unit guides the ions from the stopping cell to the MR-TOF-MS, provides differential pumping, ion identification and includes reference ion sources. The FRS Ion Catcher serves as a test facility for the Low-Energy Branch of the Sup…
Lifetime measurement of neutron-rich even-even molybdenum isotopes
D. Ralet et al. -- 11 pags., 10 figs., 3 tabs.
First spatial separation of a heavy ion isomeric beam with a multiple-reflection time-of-flight mass spectrometer
Physics letters / B 744, 137 - 141 (2015). doi:10.1016/j.physletb.2015.03.047
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…
A Novel Method for the Measurement of Half-Lives and Decay Branching Ratios of Exotic Nuclei
A novel method for simultaneous measurement of masses, Q-values, isomer excitation energies, half-lives and decay branching ratios of exotic nuclei has been demonstrated. The method includes first use of a stopping cell as an ion trap, combining containment of precursors and decay-recoils for variable durations in a cryogenic stopping cell (CSC), and afterwards the identification and counting of them by a multiple-reflection time-of-flight mass spectrometer (MR-TOF-MS). Feasibility has been established by recording the decay and growth of $^{216}$Po and $^{212}$Pb (alpha decay) and of $^{119m2}$Sb (t$_{1/2}$ = 850$\pm$90 ms) and $^{119g}$Sb (isomer transition), obtaining half-lives and bran…
Mass and half-life measurements of neutron-deficient iodine isotopes
The European physical journal / A 56(5), 143 (2020). doi:10.1140/epja/s10050-020-00153-5
Crossing the Dripline to 11N Using Elastic Resonance Scattering
The level structure of the unbound nucleus 11N has been studied by 10C+p elastic resonance scattering in inverse geometry with the LISE3 spectrometer at GANIL, using a 10C beam with an energy of 9.0 MeV/u. An additional measurement was done at the A1200 spectrometer at MSU. The excitation function above the 10C+p threshold has been determined up to 5 MeV. A potential-model analysis revealed three resonance states at energies 1.27 (+0.18-0.05) MeV (Gamma=1.44 +-0.2 MeV), 2.01(+0.15-0.05) MeV, (Gamma=0.84 +-$0.2 MeV) and 3.75(+-0.05) MeV, (Gamma=0.60 +-0.05 MeV) with the spin-parity assignments I(pi) =1/2+, 1/2- and 5/2+, respectively. Hence, 11N is shown to have a ground state parity inversi…
β -decay half-lives and β -delayed neutron emission probabilities for several isotopes of Au, Hg, Tl, Pb, and Bi, beyond N=126
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…
First experimental results of a cryogenic stopping cell with short-lived, heavy uranium fragments produced at 1000 MeV/u
A cryogenic stopping cell (CSC) has been commissioned with U-238 projectile fragments produced at 1000 MeV/u. The spatial isotopic separation in flight was performed with the FRS applying a monoenergetic degrader. For the first time, a stopping cell was operated with exotic nuclei at cryogenic temperatures (70 to 100K). A helium stopping gas density of up to 0.05mg/cm(3) was used, about two times higher than reached before for a stopping cell with RF ion repelling structures. An overall efficiency of up to 15%, a combined ion survival and extraction efficiency of about 50%, and extraction times of 24ms were achieved for heavy a-decaying uranium fragments. Mass spectrometry with a multiple-r…
β-delayed neutron emission measurements around the third r-process abundance peak
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…
Experimental program of the Super-FRS Collaboration at FAIR and developments of related instrumentation
The physics program at the super-conducting fragment separator (Super-FRS) at FAIR, being operated in a multiple-stage, high-resolution spectrometer mode, is discussed. The Super-FRS will produce, separate and transport radioactive beams at high energies up to 1.5 AGeV, and it can be also used as a stand-alone experimental device together with ancillary detectors. Various combinations of the magnetic sections of the Super-FRS can be operated in dispersive, achromatic or dispersion-matched spectrometer ion-optical modes, which allow measurements of momentum distributions of secondary-reaction products with high resolution and precision. A number of unique experiments in atomic, nuclear and h…
β-decay and β-delayed Neutron Emission Measurements at GSI-FRS Beyond N=126, for r-process Nucleosynthesis
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…
High-resolution, accurate multiple-reflection time-of-flight mass spectrometry for short-lived, exotic nuclei of a few events in their ground and low-lying isomeric states
Physical review / C covering nuclear physics 99(6), 064313 (2019). doi:10.1103/PhysRevC.99.064313