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International audience; Lifetimes of the low-energy levels in Nd136, populated in the reaction Te124(O16,4n), were measured with the ROSPHERE array at the Horia Hulubei National Institute for Physics and Nuclear Engineering (IFIN-HH), Bucharest-Magurele. The data were analyzed using the recoil distance Doppler shift method, and, in the cases where lifetimes were τ⩽1 ps, Doppler attenuation effects were taken into account. The deduced electromagnetic transition probabilities are discussed in the framework of the five-dimensional collective Hamiltonian (5DCH) theoretical model implemented with the D1S Gogny force, and detailed systematics of several observables in the even-even Nd isotopic chain are presented that highlight the transitional character of the neutron-deficient Nd isotopes. The 5DCH predictions are in overall good agreement with the present experimental results.

The Coordinated Research Project (CRP) with the code F41032 has been launched by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in 2016 as a 5-year project with the scientific goal being two-fold: 1) updating the 2000 photonuclear data library and 2) constructing a reference database of photon strength functions. We report the experimental technique and methodology used for the former goal and selected giant-dipole resonance (GDR) data updated in the IAEA-CRP.

Export Date: 14 August 2020 ispartof: Acta Physica Polonica B vol:51 issue:3 pages:683-688 ispartof: location:POLAND, Piaski status: published

Photon strength functions describing the average response of the nucleus to an electromagnetic probe are key input information in the theoretical modelling of nuclear reactions. Consequently they are important for a wide range of fields such as nuclear structure, nuclear astrophysics, medical isotope production, fission and fusion reactor technologies. They are also sources of information for widely used reaction libraries such as the IAEA Reference Input Parameter Library and evaluated data files such as EGAF. In the past two decades, the amount of reaction gamma-ray data measured to determine photon strength functions has grown rapidly. Different experimental techniques have led to discrepant results and users are faced with the dilemma of which (if any) of the divergent data to adopt. We report on a coordinated effort to compile and assess the existing experimental data on photon strength functions from the giant dipole resonance region to energies below the neutron separation energy. The assessment of the discrepant data at energies around or below the neutron separation energy has been possible only in a few cases where adequate information on the model-dependent analysis and estimation of uncertainties was available. In the giant dipole resonance region, we adopt the recommendations of the new IAEA photonuclear data library. We also present global empirical and semi-microscopic models that describe the photon strength functions in the entire energy region and reproduce reasonably well most of the experimental data. The compiled experimental photon strengths and recommended model calculations are available from the PSF database hosted at the IAEA (http://www-nds.iaea.org/PSFdatabase)., SCOPUS: re.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

International audience; The European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) has selected in 2006 a proposal based on ultra-intense laser fields with intensities reaching up to 1022–1023 W cm−2 called 'ELI' for Extreme Light Infrastructure. The construction of a large-scale laser-centred, distributed pan-European research infrastructure, involving beyond the state-of-the-art ultra-short and ultra-intense laser technologies, received the approval for funding in 2011–2012. The three pillars of the ELI facility are being built in Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania. The Romanian pillar is ELI-Nuclear Physics (ELI-NP). The new facility is intended to serve a broad national, European and International science community. Its mission covers scientific research at the frontier of knowledge involving two domains. The first one is laser-driven experiments related to nuclear physics, strong-field quantum electrodynamics and associated vacuum effects. The second is based on a Compton backscattering high-brilliance and intense low-energy gamma beam (

The photoneutron cross sections of Dy162,163 have been measured for the first time in an energy region from the neutron threshold (Sn) up to ≈13MeV. The (γ,n) reaction was induced with quasimonochromatic laser Compton-scattered γ rays, produced at the NewSUBARU laboratory. The corresponding γ-ray strength functions (γSF) have been calculated from the photoneutron cross sections. The data are compared to reanalyzed γSFs of Dy160-164, which are measured below Sn. The excellent agreement with the photoneutron data at Sn confirms the principle of detailed balance. Thus, a complete γSF is established covering in total the energy region of 1≤Eγ≤13 MeV. These mid-shell well-deformed dysprosium isotopes all show scissors resonances with very similar structures. We find that our data predict the same integrated scissors strength as (γ,γ′) data when integrated over the same energy range, which shows that the scissors mode very likely is consistent with the generalized Brink hypothesis. Finally, using the γSFs as input in the reaction code talys, we have deduced radiative neutron-capture cross sections and compared them to direct measurements. We find a very good agreement within the uncertainties, which gives further support to the experimentally determined γSFs., SCOPUS: ar.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

We discuss the γ-ray strength function toward a unified understanding of (γ,n) and (n,γ) reactions and propose a novel technique of direct neutron-multiplicity sorting to resolve the long-standing discrepancy between the Livermore and Scalya data of partial photoneutron cross sections., SCOPUS: cp.p, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

The Extreme Light Infrastructure-Nuclear Physics (ELI-NP) facility, under construction in Magurele near Bucharest in Romania, will provide high-intensity and high-resolution gamma ray beams that can be used to address hotly debated problems in nuclear astrophysics, such as the accurate measurements of the cross sections of the 24 Mg( γ,α ) 20 Ne reaction, that is fundamental to determine the effective rate of 28 Si destruction right before the core collapse and the subsequent supernova explosion.For this purpose, a silicon strip detector array (named ELISSA, acronym for Extreme Light Infrastructure Silicon Strip Array) will be realized in a common effort by ELI-NP and Laboratori Nazionali del Sud (INFN-LNS), in order to measure excitation functions and angular distributions over a wide energy and angular range.A prototype of ELISSA was built and tested at INFN-LNS in Catania (Italy) with the support of ELI-NP. In this occasion, we have carried out experiments with alpha sources and with a 11 MeV 7 Li beam. Thanks to our approach, the first results of those tests show up a very good energy resolution (better than 1%) and very good position resolution, of the order of 1 mm. Moreover, a threshold of 150 keV can be easily achieved with no cooling.

The Extreme Light Infrastructure - Nuclear Physics facility is dedicated to nuclear physics studies with the use of extreme electromagnetic radiation. One of the main research system to be installed and operated in the facility is an outstanding high brilliance gamma beam system. The Gamma Beam System of ELI–NP will produce intense, quasi–monochromatic gamma beams via inverse Compton scattering of short laser pulses on relativistic electron beam pulses. The gamma beams available at ELI–NP will allow for the performance of photo-nuclear reactions aiming to reveal the intimate structure of the atomic nucleus. Nuclear Resonance Fluorescence, photo-fission, photo-disintegration reactions above the particle threshold will be used to study the dipole response of nuclei, the structure of the Pygmy resonances, nuclear processes relevant for astrophysics, production and study of exotic neutron–rich nuclei.

Highly-monochromatic γ-ray beams are produced at the NewSUBARU synchrotron radiation facility by the inverse Compton scattering of laser photons from relativistic electrons. The latest s-process study in nuclear astrophysics with the γ-ray beam is presented., SCOPUS: cp.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

The lifetime of the 9/2 + state of 65 Cu, at 2534 keV, has been measured by fast timing techniques, in order to establish wether such state arises from a weak coupling between a p3=2 proton and the 3 octupole vibration at 3.56 MeV in the 64 Ni core. The 65 Cu nucleus was populated by the reaction 7 Li + 64 Ni at 32 MeV, at the Horia Hu- lubei National Institute of Physics and Nuclear Engineering (NIPNE) in Bucharest, and its -decay was detected by the ROSPHERE array. The measured lifetime coresponds to a B(E3) reduced transition probability to the ground state equal to 8.89 W.u., in agreement with theoretical predictions in the weak coupling limit.

Elastic scattering has been studied for the collisions induced by 17 O on 58 Ni target at energies around and above the Coulomb barrier. The elastic scattering angular distributions were measured for several energies and were analyzed within the framework of the optical model to obtain total reaction cross sections. The reaction cross-sections of the tightly bound 17 O were compared with those of weakly bound 17 F on the same targets in order to investigate the e ects of the low binding energy in the reaction dynamics.

A range of high resolution gamma-ray spectroscopy measurements have been carried out using arrays which include a number of Cerium-doped Lanthanum-Tribromide (LrBr3 (Ce)) scintillation detectors used in conjunction with high-resolution hyper-pure germanium detectors. Examples of the spectral and temporal responses of such set-ups, using both standard point radioactive sources 152 Eu and 56 Co, and in-beam fusionevaporation reaction experiments for precision measurements of nuclear excited states in 34 P and 138 Ce are presented. The current and future use of such arrays at existing (EURICA at RIKEN) and future (NUSTAR at FAIR) secondary radioactive beam facilities for precision measurements of excited nuclear state lifetimes in the 10 ps to 10 ns regime are also discussed.

The photofission cross-section of 238U was measured at sub-barrier energies as a function of the gamma-ray energy using, for the first time, a monochromatic, high-brilliance, Compton-backscattered gamma-ray beam. The experiment was performed at the High Intensity gamma-ray Source (HIgS) facility at beam energies between E=4.7 MeV and 6.0 MeV and with ~3% energy resolution. Indications of transmission resonances have been observed at gamma-ray beam energies of E=5.1 MeV and 5.6 MeV with moderate amplitudes. The triple-humped fission barrier parameters of 238U have been determined by fitting EMPIRE-3.1 nuclear reaction code calculations to the experimental photofission cross section., 5 pages, 3 figures

We report on the study of excited states in 92,94,96Kr populated via projectile Coulomb excitation at safe energies. The radioactive ion beams at energies of 2.85 MeV/u were delivered by the REX-ISOLDE facility at CERN and impinged on self-supporting 194,196Pt targets. The emitted γ -rays were detected by the Miniball detector-array. A detailed description of the experimental techniques used for extracting diagonal and transitional matrix elements and of the theoretical framework is given. The present experiment reveals the moderate evolution of the collective structure in the considered neutron-rich Kr isotopic chain, which is supported by the interacting boson model combined with the self-consistent mean-field method using a microscopic Gogny energy-density functional. The theory also suggests possible shape coexistence in the exotic nucleus 96Kr. ispartof: Nuclear Physics A vol:899 pages:1-28 status: published

New research facilities like MEGa–Ray (Livermore) or ELI–NP (Bucharest) will provide within the next years (2013–2016) photon beams of unprecedented quality with respect to both photon intensity (total flux ~ 10 13 γ /s) and spectral intensity (~ (10 4 –10 6 )/eVs), thus exceeding the performance of existing facilities by severalorders of magnitude. This tremendous progress will be enabled by Compton-backscattering of an intense laser off a high-quality electron beam, in conjunction with novel refractive bremsstrahlung beams focusing γ optics and efficient monochromatization techniques. We envisage to employ these γ beams for photofission studies on extremely deformed nuclear states of actinides, investigating their multiple–humped potential energy landscape in a highly selective way. Transmission resonances in the prompt fission cross section from the (superdeformed) second and (hyperdeformed) third potential minimum will be studied, where the fission decay channel can be expressed as a tunnelling process of these gateway states through the multiple–humped fission barrier.

The neutron-rich nuclei Kr94,96 were studied via projectile Coulomb excitation at the REX-ISOLDE facility at CERN. Level energies of the first excited 2 + states and their absolute E2 transition strengths to the ground state are determined and discussed in the context of the E(21+) and B(E2;21+→01+) systematics of the krypton chain. Contrary to previously published results no sudden onset of deformation is observed. This experimental result is supported by a new proton-neutron interacting boson model calculation based on the constrained Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov approach using the microscopic Gogny-D1M energy density functional. © 2012 American Physical Society., This work was supported by the BMBF under Contracts No. 06KY9136 and No. 06MT238, by ENSAR, by the DFG Cluster of Excellence Origin and Structure of the Universe, and by the grant-in-aid for scientific research for JSPS Fellows (Grant No. 217368). One of the authors (J. D.) would like to acknowledge the support of FWOVlaanderen (Belgium).

8th Topical Meeting on Industrial Radiation and Radioisotope Measurement Applications (IRRMA) -- JUN 24-JUL 01, 2011 -- Kansas City, MO WOS: 000306937800064 PubMed ID: 22154387 We report on a gamma-ray coincidence analysis using a mixed array of hyperpure germanium and cerium-doped lanthanum tri-bromide (LaBr3:Ce) scintillation detectors to study nuclear electromagnetic transition rates in the pico-to-nanosecond time regime in P-33,P-34 and S-33 following fusion-evaporation reactions between an O-18 beam and an isotopically enriched O-18 implanted tantalum target. Energies from decay gamma-rays associated with the reaction residues were measured in event-by-event coincidence mode, with the measured time difference information between the pairs of gamma-rays in each event also recorded using the ultra-fast coincidence timing technique. The experiment used the good full-energy peak resolution of the LaBr3:Ce detectors coupled with their excellent timing responses in order to determine the excited state lifetime associated with the lowest lying, cross-shell, I-pi = 4(-) "intruder" state previously reported in the N=19 isotone P-34. The extracted lifetime is consistent with a mainly single-particle M2 multipolarity associated with a f(7/2) -> d(5/2) single particle transition. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Kansas State Univ (KSU), Coll Engn, KSU, Dept Mech & Nucl Engn, KSU, Radiat Measurement Applicat Lab, N Carolina Sate Univ, Ctr Engn Applicat Radiosotopes, Int Radiat Phys Soc (IRPS) Science and Technology Facilities Council [ST/J000051/1, ST/F006950/1, ST/G000751/1 NuSTAR, ST/G000751/1]

A fast-timing method to determine lifetimes of nuclear states in the sub-nanosecond domain is presented. It is based on in-beam measurements of triple-gamma coincidences in heavy-ion fusion-evaporation reactions, performed with an array of HPGe and LaBr(3):Ce detectors. The high-energy resolution HPGe detectors are used to define de-exciting cascades, while the fast LaBr(3):Ce detectors are used to determine the decay time spectra of selected levels fed by these cascades. A special method to treat the time information of an array of fast detectors is employed in order to fully use the efficiency of the array. Two measurements are presented to illustrate the method: a re-determination of the known half-life T(1/2) = 0.7 ns of 7/2(+) level in (107)Cd (test experiment), and the determination of a half-life T(1/2) = 0.7 ns of the E(x) = 205 keV, J(pi) = 7/2(+) level in (107)Cd (test experiment), and the determination of a half-life T(1/2) = 47 ps for the E(x) = 367 keV, J(pi) = 3/2(+) state of (199)Tl..

Recently, the $E1$ photoneutron cross sections were measured consistently using quasimonochromatic laser Compton-scattering $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray beams at NewSUBARU (Japan) for a set of ten odd-even nuclei, spherical as well as deformed, covering relatively widely light to heavy species and at energies ranging between the neutron threshold and 40 MeV. This consistent set of experimental photoneutron cross sections allow us to estimate the total $E1$ photoabsorption cross sections, through validated theoretical models, by excluding the quasideuteron component and by including the missing low-energy and charged-particle emission contributions. In turn, the total $E1$ photoabsorption cross sections are used to derive the three main moments of the $E1$ distributions, namely the integrated cross section, the centroid energy, and the polarizability. These so-called model-dependent experimental moments follow a rather smooth trend with atomic mass, as theoretically expected, except for the specific case of $^{209}\mathrm{Bi}$ which presents a surprising 10% increase of both the integrated strength and the polarizability with respect to its even-even spherical neighbor $^{208}\mathrm{Pb}$. A rather consistent value for the enhancement factor of the $E1$ energy-weighted sum rule could be extracted from the present experimental data. The experimentally derived moments are compared for the ten odd-even systems with calculations based on the mean-field plus quasiparticle random phase approximation (QRPA). Spherical as well as axially deformed predictions based on the Skyrme and Gogny interactions are considered to discuss the results. Special attention is also paid to the approximate treatment of odd systems of nucleons in this context. It is found that in general theoretical predictions can rather well describe the data for the full set of nuclei, except for $^{209}\mathrm{Bi}$ presenting a kink in all the three main $E1$ moments with respect to the well-studied $^{208}\mathrm{Pb}$ case. Such an experimental determination cannot be explained by mean-field plus QRPA calculations. New measurements of photoabsorption cross section on $^{208}\mathrm{Pb}$ and $^{209}\mathrm{Bi}$ in the 14--19 MeV range as well as future theoretical calculations, in particular of odd-even systems, may help to solve such a mystery. The present data are also used to reinvestigate the correlation between the nuclear matter symmetry energy and its slope at saturation density. The analysis based on both Skyrme and Gogny Hartree-Fock-Bogolyubov (HFB) plus QRPA calculations confirm previous results, though quantitatively larger variations of the correlation parameters are found.