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Physical review / C 102(5), 054304 (2020). doi:10.1103/PhysRevC.102.054304, Published by Inst., Woodbury, NY

The European physical journal / A 56(4), 105 (2020). doi:10.1140/epja/s10050-020-00118-8, Published by Springer, Heidelberg

The neutron-deficient mercury isotopes serve as a classical example of shape coexistence, whereby at low energy near-degenerate nuclear states characterized by different shapes appear. The electromagnetic structure of even-mass 182-188 Hg isotopes was studied using safe-energy Coulomb excitation of neutron-deficient mercury beams delivered by the REX-ISOLDE facility at CERN. The population of $ 0^{+}_{1,2}$01,2+, $ 2^{+}_{1,2}$21,2+and $ 4^{+}_{1}$41+states was observed in all nuclei under study. Reduced E2 matrix elements coupling populated yrast and non-yrast states were extracted, including their relative signs. These are a sensitive probe of shape coexistence and may be used to validate nuclear models. The experimental results are discussed in terms of mixing of two different configurations and are compared with three different model calculations: the Beyond Mean Field model, the Interacting Boson Model with configuration mixing and the General Bohr Hamiltonian. Partial agreement with experiment was observed, hinting to missing ingredients in the theoretical descriptions. The neutron-deficient mercury isotopes serve as a classical example of shape coexistence, whereby at low energy near-degenerate nuclear states characterized by different shapes appear. The electromagnetic structure of even-mass 182-188 Hg isotopes was studied using safe-energy Coulomb excitation of neutron-deficient mercury beams delivered by the REX-ISOLDE facility at CERN. The population of $ 0^{+}_{1,2}$01,2+, $ 2^{+}_{1,2}$21,2+and $ 4^{+}_{1}$41+states was observed in all nuclei under study. Reduced E2 matrix elements coupling populated yrast and non-yrast states were extracted, including their relative signs. These are a sensitive probe of shape coexistence and may be used to validate nuclear models. The experimental results are discussed in terms of mixing of two different configurations and are compared with three different model calculations: the Beyond Mean Field model, the Interacting Boson Model with configuration mixing and the General Bohr Hamiltonian. Partial agreement with experiment was observed, hinting to missing ingredients in the theoretical descriptions. ispartof: The European Physical Journal A - Hadrons and Nuclei vol:55 issue:8 pages:130-130 status: published

The first measurement of $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ rays from the $^{114}\mathrm{Sn}(n,\ensuremath{\gamma})$ reaction using cold neutrons, performed with an array of Ge detectors at the PF1B facility of the Institute Laue-Langevin in Grenoble, has provided the most accurate energy, ${Q}_{\ensuremath{\beta}}=173(12)$ eV, of ${\ensuremath{\beta}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ decay of the $^{115}\mathrm{In}$ ground state to the first excited state in $^{115}\mathrm{Sn}$. This is the lowest of all such energies in the known nuclear landscape. The accuracy of the neutron binding energy of $^{115}\mathrm{Sn}$ and the mass of $^{114}\mathrm{Sn}$ have been improved.

Background: Shape coexistence in heavy nuclei poses a strong challenge to state-of-the-art nuclear models, where several competing shape minima are found close to the ground state. A classic region for investigating this phenomenon is in the region around Z=82 and the neutron midshell at N=104. Purpose: Evidence for shape coexistence has been inferred from α-decay measurements, laser spectroscopy, and in-beam measurements. While the latter allow the pattern of excited states and rotational band structures to be mapped out, a detailed understanding of shape coexistence can only come from measurements of electromagnetic matrix elements. Method: Secondary, radioactive ion beams of Rn202 and Rn204 were studied by means of low-energy Coulomb excitation at the REX-ISOLDE in CERN. Results: The electric-quadrupole (E2) matrix element connecting the ground state and first excited 21+ state was extracted for both Rn202 and Rn204, corresponding to B(E2;21+→01+)=29-8+8 and 43-12+17 W.u. respectively. Additionally, E2 matrix elements connecting the 21+ state with the 41+ and 22+ states were determined in Rn202. No excited 0+ states were observed in the current data set, possibly owing to a limited population of second-order processes at the currently available beam energies. Conclusions: The results are discussed in terms of collectivity and the deformation of both nuclei studied is deduced to be weak, as expected from the low-lying level-energy schemes. Comparisons are also made to state-of-the-art beyond-mean-field model calculations and the magnitude of the transitional quadrupole moments are well reproduced., 0, SCOPUS: ar.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

The quasi-SU(3) sequence of the positive parity $\ensuremath{\nu}{g}_{9/2},{d}_{5/2},{s}_{1/2}$ orbitals above the $N=40$ shell gap are assumed to induce strong quadrupole collectivity in the neutron-rich Fe $(Z=26)$ and Cr $(Z=24)$ isotopes below the nickel region. In this paper the position and strength of these single-particle orbitals are characterized in the neighborhood of $^{68}\mathrm{Ni} (Z=28,\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}N=40)$ through the $^{66}\mathrm{Ni}(d,p)^{67}\mathrm{Ni}$ one-neutron transfer reaction at 2.95 MeV/nucleon in inverse kinematics, performed at the REX-ISOLDE facility in CERN. A combination of the Miniball $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-array and T-REX particle-detection setup was used and a delayed coincidence technique was employed to investigate the 13.3-$\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{s}$ isomer at 1007 keV in $^{67}\mathrm{Ni}$. Excited states up to an excitation energy of 5.8 MeV have been populated. Feeding of the $\ensuremath{\nu}{g}_{9/2}$ (1007 keV) and $\ensuremath{\nu}{d}_{5/2}$ (2207 keV and 3277 keV) positive-parity neutron states and negative parity $(\ensuremath{\nu}pf)$ states have been observed at low excitation energy. The extracted relative spectroscopic factors, based on a distorted-wave Born approximation analysis, show that the $\ensuremath{\nu}{d}_{5/2}$ single-particle strength is mostly split over these two excited states. The results are also compared to the distribution of the proton single-particle strength in the $^{90}\mathrm{Zr}$ region $(Z=40,N=50)$.

Sub-barrier Coulomb-excitation was performed on a mixed beam of $^{62}$Mn and $^{62}$Fe, following in-trap $\beta^{-}$ decay of $^{62}$Mn at REX-ISOLDE, CERN. The trapping and charge breeding times were varied in order to alter the composition of the beam, which was measured by means of an ionisation chamber at the zero-angle position of the Miniball array. A new transition was observed at 418~keV, which has been tentatively associated to a $(2^{+},3^{+})\rightarrow1^{+}_{g.s.}$ transition. This fixes the relative positions of the $\beta$-decaying $4^{+}$ and $1^{+}$ states in $^{62}$Mn for the first time. Population of the $2^{+}_{1}$ state was observed in $^{62}$Fe and the cross-section determined by normalisation to the $^{109}$Ag target excitation, confirming the $B(E2)$ value measured in recoil-distance lifetime experiments., Comment: 9 pages, 10 figures

Coulomb-excitation experiments to study electromagnetic properties of radioactive even-even Hg isotopes were performed with 2.85 MeV/nucleon mercury beams from REX-ISOLDE. Magnitudes and relative signs of the reduced E2 matrix elements that couple the ground state and low-lying excited states in Hg182-188 were extracted. Information on the deformation of the ground and the first excited 0(+) states was deduced using the quadrupole sum rules approach. Results show that the ground state is slightly deformed and of oblate nature, while a larger deformation for the excited 0(+) state was noted in Hg-182; 184. The results are compared to beyond mean field and interacting-boson based models and interpreted within a two-state mixing model. Partial agreement with the model calculations was obtained. The presence of two different structures in the light even-mass mercury isotopes that coexist at low excitation energy is firmly established.

Lifetimes of the low-lying (11/2-) states in 63,65Co have been measured employing the recoil distance doppler shift method (RDDS) with the AGATA γ-ray array and the PRISMA mass spectrometer. These nuclei were populated via a multinucleon transfer reaction by bombarding a 238U target with a beam of 64Ni. The experimental B(E2) reduced transition probabilities for 63,65Co are well reproduced by large-scale shell-model calculations that predict a constant trend of the B(E2) values up to the N=40 67Co isotope

The radioactive isotope 107In was studied using sub-barrier Coulomb excitation at the REX-ISOLDE facility at CERN. Two γ rays were observed during the experiment, corresponding to the low-lying 11/2+ and 3/2− states. The reduced transition probability of the 11/2+ state was determined with the semiclassical Coulomb excitation code GOSIA2. The result is discussed in comparison to large-scale shell-model calculations, previous unified-model calculations, and earlier Coulomb excitation measurements in the odd-mass In isotopes. ispartof: Physical Review C, Nuclear Physics vol:87 issue:1 status: published

A set of B(E2) values for the low-lying excited states in the radioactive isotope Sn-109 were deduced from a Coulomb excitation experiment. The 2.87-MeV/u radioactive beam was produced at the REX-ISOLDE facility at CERN and was incident on a secondary Ni-58 target. The B(E2) values were determined using the known 2(+) -> 0(+) reduced transition probability in Ni-58 as normalization with the semiclassical Coulomb excitation code GOSIA2. The transition probabilities are compared to shell-model calculations based on a realistic nucleon-nucleon interaction and the predictions of a simple core-excitation model. This measurement represents the first determination of multiple B(E2) values in a light Sn nucleus using the Coulomb excitation technique with low-energy radioactive beams. The results provide constraints for the single-neutron states relative to Sn-100 and also indicate the importance of both single-neutron and collective excitations in the light Sn isotopes. (Less)

The X(5) symmetry describes nuclei at the critical point of the shape phase transition from axially deformed rotor nuclei to spherical vibrators. 150Nd, 152Sm, and 154Gd were the first nuclei where the predicted charateristics of the X(5) symmetry were observed. Later it was shown that also 176,178,180Os can be successfully described with the X(5) symmetry.In the close vicinity of shape phase transitions one expects strongly changing nuclear shapes. In the X(5) region around A = 150 this was observed for nuclei with different neutron numbers, whereas in the X(5) region around A = 180 this is to be expected for different proton numbers. The aim of the work presented here is the confirmation of a rapid shape change for nuclei close to 178Os. Besides the knowledge on the level scheme of the nuclei of interest, especially absolute E2 transition strengths are crucial for the interpretation of nuclear structure. Prolate deformation is expected for 176W. Thus we performed a recoil distance Doppler shift (RDDS) m...

Recently, an Orange spectrometer, a focusing iron‐free magnetic spectrometer, has been installed at a beam line of the 10 MV Tandem accelerator of the IKP of the University of Cologne. The high efficiency of 15% of 4π for the detection of conversion electrons and the energy resolution of 1% makes the Orange spectrometer a powerful instrument. From the conversion electron spectrum, transition multipolarities can be determined using the so called K to L ratio. In combination with an array of germanium and lanthanum bromide detectors, e−‐γ‐coincidences can be performed to investigate the level scheme. Moreover, the very fast lanthanum bromide scintillator with an energy resolution of 3% allows e−‐γ lifetime measurements down to 0.3 ns. A second Orange spectrometer can be added to build the Double Orange Spectrometer for e−‐e−‐coincidences. It is indispensable for lifetime measurements of low intensity or nearby lying transitions as often occur in odd‐A and odd‐odd nuclei. The capabilities are illustrated wit...

The radioactive isotope 107Sn was studied using Coulomb excitation at the REX-ISOLDE facility at CERN. This is the lightest odd-Sn nucleus examined using this technique. The reduced transition probability of the lowest-lying 3/2+ state was measured and is compared to shell-model predictions based on several sets of single-neutron energies relative to 100Sn. Similar to the transition probabilities for the 2+ states in the neutron-deficient even-even Sn nuclei, the measured value is underestimated by shell-model calculations. Part of the strength may be recovered by considering the ordering of the d5/2 and g7/2 single-neutron states. ispartof: European Physical Journal A, Hadrons and Nuclei vol:48 issue:7 status: published