Search

The ground-state structure of the near-drip-line nucleus 23O has been investigated in a one-neutron Coulomb breakup reaction. Differential cross sections d σ / d E * for electromagnetic excitation of 23O projectiles (422 MeV/nucleon) incident on a lead target have been obtained from the measurement of the momenta of all breakup products including γ rays. The analysis of the deduced dipole-transition probability into the continuum infers a 2 s 1 / 2 ⊗ O 22 ( 0 + ) ground state configuration with a spectroscopic factor of 0.77(10) and thus a ground-state spin I π ( O 23 ) = 1 / 2 + , resolving earlier conflicting experimental findings. Final-state interaction is of significant influence, an effective reduced scattering length for low-energy p 3 / 2 neutron scattering could be derived from the data.

Coulomb breakup of unstable neutron-rich carbon isotopes 15,17 C has been studied at energies around ∼500–600 MeV/nucleon. Non-resonant low-lying dipole strength is observed in these isotopes which can be explained by a direct breakup mechanism. In addition to the decay neutron from excited projectile, γ-rays emitted from excited fragments after Coulomb breakup are measured in coincidence, giving access to quantitative spectroscopic information. The spectroscopic factor deduced for a valence neutron occupying the s1/2 level in the 15C ground state is consistent with that obtained earlier from (d,p) transfer reactions. The analysis for Coulomb breakup of 17C shows that most of the cross section yields the 16C core in excited states. The predominant ground-state configuration of 17C is found to be 16 C (2 + )⊗ν s,d .

Coulomb breakup of neutron-rich nuclei around mass A ∼ 20 has been studied experimentally using secondary beams (∼ 500–600 MeV/u) of unstable nuclei produced at GSI. The spectroscopic factor deduced for the neutron occupying s 1/2 level in 15C ground state is consistent with the earlier reported value. The data analysis for Coulomb breakup of 17C shows that most of the cross section yields the 16C core in its excited state. For 17–22O, the low-lying E1 strength amounts up to about 12% of the energy weighted dipole sum rule strength depending on neutron excess. The cluster sum rule limit with 16O as a core is almost exhausted for 17,18O, while for more neutron rich isotopes the strength with respect to that limit decreases.

Differential cross sections for electromagnetic fission of 238U projectiles (500 MeV/u) in C, Sn, and Pb targets are measured and analyzed in terms of single- and multiphonon giant resonance excitations as doorway states to fission. A novel experimental method exploits the linear relationship between neutron multiplicity and the primary 238U excitation energy. Multiphonon states contribute up to 20% of the cross section; a component at high excitation energies is indicated that may arise from three-phonon dipole and two-phonon GDR x GQRiv giant resonance excitations.

Abrasion-ablation models and the empirical EPAX parametrization of projectile fragmentation are described. Their cross section predictions are compared to recent data of the fragmentation of secondary beams of neutron-rich, unstable 19,20,21O isotopes at beam energies near 600 MeV/nucleon as well as data for stable 17,18O beams.

A search for octupole deformation in neutron-rich Xe isotopes has been conducted through prompt gammaray spectroscopy of secondary fragments produced in the spontaneous fission of248Cm. The spectrometer consisted of the Eurogam 1 array and a set of 5 LEPS detectors. Level schemes were constructed for Xe isotopes with mass number ranging from 140 to 144 and excited states for143,144Xe nuclei were observed for the first time. None of the level schemes exhibit an alternating parity quasimolecular band, a feature usually expected in nuclei in which octupole correlation effects are strong enough to produce stable octupole deformation. For several isotopes, structures observed in the level schemes are consistent with an octupole softness of the nuclei.

Partial level schemes of the very neutron-rich nuclei 141,143,145 Cs have been determined from the study of γ-γ-γ coincidences in 248 Cm fission fragments. Excited states of 143,145 Cs nuclei were observed for the first time. The possible existence of octupole deformation in the Cs nuclear ground states is discussed.

Partial decay schemes for the very neutron-rich nuclei 108,110,112 Ru and 114 Ru, about which nothing was previously known, have been determined from the study of prompt, triple-γ coincidences in 248 Cm fission fragments. Levels with probable spin up to 10ħ have been observed and γ-ray branching ratios obtained. Ratios of reduced electric quadrupole transition probabilities obtained from the branching ratios are in good agreement with predictions of a simple model of a rigid triaxial rotor.

Collective flow of nuclear matter is one important aspect of the research performed at heavy ion accelerator laboratories. The phenomenon was predicted on the basis of hydrodynamical calculations [1], and experimental evidence was first presented for the systems 93 Nb + 93 Nb and 197 Au + 197 Au in the projectile energy range between 150 and 1050 MeV/u [2]. The comparison to microscopic calculations shows that nuclear matter is compressed to about two to three times the ground state density and that a substantial fraction of the kinetic energy in the entrance channel is converted into compressional energy [3]. In these calculations, the relation between density and compressional energy depends on the parameterization of the nucleon-nucleon inter-action. The values of its parameters will hopefully be restricted by a comparison of the calculations to experimental data, and thus one can obtain information on the nucleon-nucleon interaction within the nuclear medium which is not accessible from other sources.

Angular distributions of Xe fragments produced in peripheral collisions of a 136 Xe beam ~700 MeV/nucleon! with 208 Pb and nat Sn targets were measured. Equivalent sharp-cutoff minimum impact parameters were derived on the basis of a semiclassical description for the electromagnetic excitation of one- and two-phonon giant resonances. The results are compared with current standard parametrizations of minimum impact parameters and with the soft-spheres model using realistic mass density distributions for projectile and targets. @S0556-2813~99!50611-0#