Search

We have performed the measurement of the 27Al(α, n) cross section at IFIN-HH for a range of energies from 2.5 to 5.2 MeV, using an array of 28 3He counters arranged in 3 concentric rings (ELIGANT-TN). Here we present the experimental setup and discuss the role of the 13C contamination which effects the measurements in the low-energy region. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy carried out before and after the experiment suggested an increase in the 13C concentration during the experiment.

The 19F(ρ,α)16O reaction is an important fluorine destruction chan- nel in the proton-rich outer layers of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars and it might also play a role in hydrogen-deficient post-AGB star nucleosynthesis. At present, theoretical models overproduce F abundances in AGB stars with re-spect to the observed values, thus calling for further investigation of the nuclear reaction rates involved in the production and destruction of fluorine. In the last years, new direct and indirect measurements improved significantly the knowl- edge of 19F(ρ,α)16O cross section at deeply sub-Coulomb energies (below 0.8 MeV). However, those data are larger by a factor of 1.4 with respect the previ- ous data reported in the NACRE compilation in the energy region 0.6-0.8 MeV. Using the Large High resolution Array of Silicons for Astrophysics (LHASA), we performed a new direct measurement of the 19F(ρ,α)16O. The goal of this experiment is to reduce the uncertainties in the nuclear reaction rate of the 19F(ρ,α)16O reaction. Here, experimental details, the calibration procedure and angular distributions are presented.

At the Extreme Light Infrastructure - Nuclear Physics facility (ELI-NP), high-power laser systems together with high-brilliance gamma beams are the main research tools. The status of the construction of the facility is reported. The emerging photofission experimental program with brilliant gamma beams at ELI-NP is presented with emphasis on the prepared day-one experiments. The physics cases of the flagship experiments at ELI-NP are discussed, as well as the related instruments which are under construction for their realization.

Position-sensitive silicon strip detectors represent one of the best solutions for the detection of charged particles as they provide good energy and position resolution over a large range of energies. A silicon array coupled with the gamma beams at the ELI-NP facility would allow measuring photodissociation reactions of interest for Big Bang Nucleosynthesis and on heavy nuclei intervening in the p-process. Forty X3 detectors for our ELISSA (ELI-NP Silicon Strip Detectors Array) project have been recently purchased and tested. We investigated several specifications, such as leakage currents, depletion voltage, and detector stability under vacuum. The energy and position resolution, and ballistic deficit were measured and analyzed. This paper presents the main results of our extensive testing. The measured energy resolution for the X3 detectors is better than results published for similar arrays (ANASEN or ORRUBA).

Present and future gamma-beam facilities represent a great opportunity to validate and evaluate the cross-sections of many photonuclear reactions at near-threshold energies. Monte Carlo (MC) simulations are very important to evaluate the reaction rates and to maximize the detection efficiency but, unfortunately, they can be very cputime-consuming and in some cases very hard to reproduce, especially when exploring near-threshold cross-section. We developed a software that makes use of the validated tracking GEANT4 libraries and the n-body event generator of ROOT in order to provide a fast, realiable and complete MC tool to be used for nuclear physics experiments. This tool is indeed intended to be used for photonuclear reactions at γ-beam facilities with ELISSA (ELI Silicon Strip Array), a new detector array under development at the Extreme Light Infrastructure - Nuclear Physics (ELI-NP). We discuss the results of MC simulations performed to evaluate the effects of the electromagnetic induced background, of the straggling due to the target thickness and of the resolution of the silicon detectors.

An overview of the main directions of present-day studies with quasimonochromatic γ beams are discussed with an emphasis on the research opportunities which will be offered at the Extreme Light Infrastructure Nuclear Physics (ELI-NP) facility at Magurele near Bucharest in Romania. Experiments with γ beams at the extremes of high temperature and high neutron-to-proton ratios are outlined. Some of the experimental setups for nuclear structure, reaction and astrophysics studies, which are available at ELI-NP, are described. Perspectives for studies of exotic nuclei within the Gamma Factory experiment at CERN are discussed. The expected fission-fragment yields at the Gamma Factory are presented. The perspectives for nuclear structure studies with γ rays with orbital angular momentum are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nuclear mass is a key property of atomic nuclei. The accurate determination of nuclear masses provides information for the nuclear shell structure and nuclear deformations. The FRS Ion Catcher experimental setup at GSI, Darmstadt was used to perform mass measurements of 252Cf fragments using a multiple-reflection time-of-flight mass spectrometer. The reported results are compared to previous measurements and their implication in the estimation of two-neutron separation energy is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI) Pan-European initiative represents a major step forward in quest for extreme electromagnetic fields. The Extreme Light Infrastructure – Nuclear Physics (ELI-NP) laboratory is one of the three pillars of the ELI project, that aims to use such extreme electromagnetic fields for nuclear physics and quantum electrodynamics research. At ELI-NP two ten petawatt high-power laser systems together with a very brilliant narrow-width γ beam are the main research tools. Here the current status of the project and the experimental program related to nuclear research, which is under preparation at ELI-NP, are presented.

The use of multi-nucleon transfer (MNT) reactions to produce neutronrich 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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simulations providing estimates of the ELI-NP gamma-beam energy bandwidths and beam spot dimensions for the collimated beams, and expected fission rates with the narrow-width beams of bandwidth 0.3% and 0.5% on actinide targets, 238U and 232Th, are reported. These estimates support the feasibility of precise transmission resonance measurements with the narrow-width ELI-NP γ beams. The status of the design and construction of a state-of-the-art experimental array, consisting of four double-sided, Frisch-gridded Bragg ionization chambers, coupled to ΔE-E detectors, is reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mission of the Extreme Light Infrastructure - Nuclear Physics (ELI-NP) facility is to use extreme electromagnetic fields for nuclear physics research. At ELI-NP, high-power lasers together with a very brilliant γ-ray beam are the main research tools. Their targeted operational parameters are described. The emerging experimental program of the facility in the field of nuclear physics is reported and the main directions of the research envisioned are presented. The experimental instrumentation, which will operate at ELI-NP for the realization of the research program, is discussed. The expected impact of ELI-NP on the future advance of the field is summarized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The neutron-rich isotopes of cadmium up to the N=82 shell closure have been investigated by high-resolution laser spectroscopy. Deep-uv excitation at 214.5 nm and radioactive-beam bunching provided the required experimental sensitivity. Long-lived isomers are observed in 127Cd and 129Cd for the first time. One essential feature of the spherical shell model is unambiguously confirmed by a linear increase of the 11/2- quadrupole moments. Remarkably, this mechanism is found to act well beyond the h11/2 shell. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excited states in 129I were populated with the 124Sn(7Li,2n) reaction at 23 MeV. In-beam measurements of γ-ray coincidences were performed with an array of eight HPGe detectors and five LaBr3(Ce) scintillation detectors. Based on the γγ coincidence data, a positive parity band structure built on the 7/2+ ground state was established and the nπg7/2 configuration at oblate deformation was assigned to it. The results are compared to interacting Boson-Fermion model (IBFM) and total Routhian surface (TRS) calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nuclei in the A " 190 mass region show gradual shape changes from prolate through nonaxial deformed shapes and ultimately towards spherical shapes as the Pb region is approached. Exploring how this shape evolution occurs will help us understand the evolution of collectivity in this region. Purpose: The level scheme of the 192 Au nucleus in A "190 region was studied in order to deduce its deformations. Methods: High-spin states of 192Au have been populated in the 186W("B, 5n) reaction at a beam energy of 68 MeV and their ? decay was studied using the YRAST Ball detector array at the Wright Nuclear Structure Laboratory (WNSL), Yale University. Results: Based on double and triple ?-ray coincidence data the level scheme of 192 Au has been extended up to Ip = 32+ at an excitation energy of ~6 MeV. Conclusion: The results are discussed in the framework of pairing and deformation self-consistent total Routhian surface (TRS) and cranked shell model (CSM) calculations. The comparison of the experimental observations with the calculations indicates that this nucleus takes a nonaxial shape similar to other Au nuclei in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spectroscopic quadrupole moment of the T1/2=9.4(5) ns isomer in 193Pb at an excitation energy Eex=(2585+x) keV is measured by the time-differential perturbed angular distribution method as ∣Qx∣=2.6(3) e b. Spin and parity Iπ=27/2¯ are assigned to it based on angular distribution measurements. This state is the band head of a magnetic-rotational band, described by the 1i13/2 subshell with the (3s1/2-21h9/21i13/2)11- proton excitation. The pairing-plus-quadrupole tilted-axis cranking calculations reproduce the measured quadrupole moment with a moderate oblate deformation ϵ2=-0.11, similar to that of the 11¯proton intruder states, which nuclei in the region. This is the first direct measurement of a quadrupole moment and thus of the deformation of a magnetic-rotational band head. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The feasibility of measuring g -factors using the TDPAD method applied to high-energy, heavy fragmentation products is explored. The 2623keV $\ensuremath I^{\pi}=12^+$ isomer in 192Pb with $ \tau$ = 1.57 μs has been produced using the fragmentation of a 1 A GeV 238U beam. The results presented demonstrate for the first time that such heavy nuclei produced in a fragmentation reaction with a relativistic beam are sufficiently well spin-aligned. Moreover, the rather large value of the alignment, 28(10)% of the maximum possible, is preserved during the separation process allowing the determination of magnetic moments. The measured values of the lifetime, $ \tau$ = 1.54(9) μs, and the g -factor, g = - 0.175(20) , agree with the results of previous investigations using fusion-evaporation reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High level of electromagnetic radiation is produced in the interaction of relativistic ions with matter. A model to simulate it within GEANT4 has been developed in order to evaluate these sources of background and their influence on the experimental spectra. New classes have been added to the standard GEANT4 program libraries, describing the radiative electron capture, primary bremsstrahlung and secondary bremsstrahlung processes. Simulations of experiments within the RISING stopped beam campaign and comparison with the experimental results are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information on the first excited states in the N = Z = 41 nucleus 82Nb sheds light on the competition of isospin T = 0 and T = 1 states in the A ∼ 80 region. The measurement was performed at the GSI laboratory using fragmentation of a 107Ag primary beam at 750 MeV/u on a 4 g/cm² 9Be target. The fragments were separated and identified unambiguously in the FRagment Separator. Three excited states were observed and the half-life estimate for the isomeric state was extracted. A tentative spin assignment based on the isobaric analogue states systematics in the Tz = 1 nucleus 82Zr, and transition probabilities indicate T = 1 character of the first two excited states, and T = 0 for the isomeric state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quadrupole interaction of the 11- and 12+ isomers in 192,194Pb nuclei has been investigated in the electric field gradient of metallic Bi polycrystalline lattice by the method of time-differential observation of the γ-rays perturbed angular distribution. The electric field gradient strength of the host Bi lattice has been calibrated by using as probe the 12+ isomer in 194Pb. The intrinsic quadrupole moments derived for the 11- isomers described by the π(1h9/21i13/2) intruder configuration are compared with the predictions of mean-field and interacting boson models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lifetimes of excited states in 128Ce were measured using the recoil distance Doppler-shift (RDDS) and the Doppler-shift attenuation (DSAM) methods. The experiments were performed at the Wright Nuclear Structure Laboratory of Yale University. Excited states of 128Ce were populated in the 100Mo(32Si,4n) reaction at 120 MeV and the nuclear γ decay was measured with an array of eight Clover detectors positioned at forward and backward angles. The deduced yrast transition strengths together with the energies of the levels within the ground-state (gs) band of 128Ce are in agreement with the predicted values for the X(5) critical point symmetry. Thus, we suggest 128Ce as a benchmark X(5) nucleus in the mass A ≈ 130 region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a measurement of the g-factor of the I π = 9/2+, t 1/2 = 22ns isomer in 65Ni. The state of interest was populated and spin-oriented using a single-neutron transfer on an enriched 64Ni target. The value, which was obtained, g(9/2+,65m Ni) = - 0.296(3) is well in agreement with the g-factors of the other 9/2+ states in the region and with large-basis shell model calculations. The known g-factor of the 9/2+ isomer in 63Ni was used in order to verify the strength of the hyperfine field of Ni( Ni) at room temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lifetimes of exited states in 134Pr were measured be means of the recoil distance Doppler-shift and Doppler-shift attenuation techniques. The experiments were performed at IReS, Strasbourg using the EUROBALL IV spectrometer, in conjunction with the inner BGO ball and the Cologne coincidence plunger apparatus. Exited states in 134Pr were populated in the fusion-evaporation reaction 119Sn(19F, 4n)134Pr. Reduced transition probabilities in 134Pr are compared to the predictions of the two quasiparticle+triaxial rotor and interacting boson fermion-fermion models. The experimental results do not support the presence of static chirality in 134Pr underlying the importance of shape fluctuations. Only within a dynamical context the presence of intrinsic chirality in 134Pr can be supported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]