Search

We propose a method to measure the electron electric dipole moment (eEDM) using ultracold entangled francium (Fr) atoms trapped in an optical lattice, yielding an uncertainty below the standard quantum limit. Among the alkali atoms, Fr offers the largest enhancement factor to the eEDM. With a Fr based experiment, quantum sensing using quantum entangled states could enable a search for the eEDM at a level below 10−30 ecm. We estimate statistical and systematic errors attached to the proposed measurement scheme based on this quantum sensing technique. A successful quantum sensing of the eEDM could enable the exploration of new physics beyond the standard model of particle physics.

Ions with similar charge-to-mass ratios cannot be separated from existing beam profile monitors (BPMs) in nuclear facilities in which low-energy radioactive ions are produced due to nuclear fusion reactions. In this study, we developed a BPM using a microchannel plate and a charge-coupled device to differentiate the beam profiles of alpha-decaying radioactive isotopes from other ions (reaction products) produced in a nuclear reaction. This BPM was employed to optimize the low-energy radioactive francium ion (Fr+) beam developed at the Cyclotron and Radioisotope Center (CYRIC), Tohoku University, for electron permanent electric dipole moment (e-EDM) search experiments using Fr atoms. We demonstrated the performance of the BPM by separating the Fr+ beam from other reaction products produced during the nuclear fusion reaction of an oxygen (18O) beam and gold (197Au) target. However, as the mass of Au is close to that of Fr, separating the ions of these elements using a mass filter is a challenge, and a dominant number of Au+ renders the Fr+ beam profile invisible when using a typical BPM. Therefore, by employing the new BPM, we could successfully observe the Fr+ beam and other ion beams distinctly by measuring the alpha decay of Fr isotopes. This novel technique to monitor the alpha-emitting radioactive beam covers a broad range of lifetimes, for example, from approximately 1 s to 10 min, and can be implemented for other alpha-emitter beams utilized for medical applications., Comment: 7 pages, 8 figures

International audience; We propose a method for measuring parity violation in neutral atoms. It is an adaptation of a seminal work by Fortson [Phys. Rev. Lett. 70, 2383 (1993)], proposing a scheme for a single trapped ion. In our version, a large sample of neutral atoms should be localised in an optical lattice overlapping a grid of detection sites, all tailored as the single site in Fortson's work. The methodology is of general applicability, but as an example, we estimate the achievable signal in an experiment probing a nuclear spin independent parity violation on the line 6s 2 S 1/2-5d 2 D 3/2 in 133 Cs. The projected result is based on realistic parameters and ab initio calculations of transition amplitudes, using the relativistic coupled-cluster method. The final result is a predicted spectroscopic signature, evidencing parity violation, of the order of 1 Hz, for a sample of 10 8 atoms. We show that a total interrogation time of 30000 s should, together with existing theoretical data, suffice for achieving a precision in the determination of the weak charge of Cs of the order of 0.1%-a sensitivity surpassing previously reported determinations by at least a factor of five.

We present an experimental technique to measure light shifts due to the nuclear spin independent (NSI) parity-nonconserving (PNC) interaction in the \( 7{S}_{1/2} \)–\( 6{D}_{3/2} \) transition in ultracold \( {}^{210}\mathrm{Fr} \) atoms. The approach we propose is similar to the one by Fortson (Phys Rev Lett 70:2383, 10) to measure the PNC-induced light shift which arises from the interference of parity nonconserving electric dipole transition and electric quadrupole transition amplitudes. Its major advantage is that it can treat more than \( {10}^4 \) ultracold \( {}^{210}\mathrm{Fr} \) atoms to enhance the shot noise limit. A relativistic coupled-cluster method has been employed to calculate the electric dipole transition amplitudes arising from the PNC interaction. Based on these calculations, we have evaluated the PNC-induced light shifts for transitions between the hyperfine levels of the \( 7{S}_{1/2} \) and \( 6{D}_{3/2} \) states and suitable transitions are identified for carrying out PNC measurements. It is possible in principle to probe new physics beyond the standard model with our proposed experimental scheme.

We are planning test experiments of fundamental symmetries based on the intrinsic properties of francium. It is expected that the laser cooling and trapping of francium will produce precision measurements. The pilot experiment using rubidium was performed with the goal of francium trapping. The ion beam generated with a francium ion source was investigated using a Wien filter. Each piece of equipment still must be studied in more detail, and the equipment should be upgraded in order to trap radioactive atoms.

We present an experimental technique to measure light shifts due to the nuclear spin independent (NSI) parity-nonconserving (PNC) interaction in the $$7S_{1/2}$$ – $$6D_{3/2}$$ transition in ultracold $${^{210}\mathrm{Fr}}$$ atoms. The approach we propose is similar to the one by Fortson (Phys Rev Lett 70:2383, 10) to measure the PNC-induced light shift which arises from the interference of parity nonconserving electric dipole transition and electric quadrupole transition amplitudes. Its major advantage is that it can treat more than $$10^4$$ ultracold $${^{210}\mathrm{Fr}}$$ atoms to enhance the shot noise limit. A relativistic coupled-cluster method has been employed to calculate the electric dipole transition amplitudes arising from the PNC interaction. Based on these calculations, we have evaluated the PNC-induced light shifts for transitions between the hyperfine levels of the $$7S_{1/2}$$ and $$6D_{3/2}$$ states and suitable transitions are identified for carrying out PNC measurements. It is possible in principle to probe new physics beyond the standard model with our proposed experimental scheme.

A factory of laser-cooled francium (Fr) atoms is being developed to search for the electric dipole moment (EDM) of the electron. The factory has achieved the production of Fr ions of 9 × 10 5 particles/s and transport with a transmission efficiency of 2%. In pilot experiments, the magneto-optical trapping of rubidium (Rb) has been performed using a new ion-to-atom converter. To achieve the Fr trap, the development and design of each of the factory’s components are in progress.

We performed high-energy proton and electron irradiation on a GaN Schottky diode and investigated the effects on its electrical properties. No significant changes in the dark current or breakdown voltage of the diode were observed for fluences up to ∼ 10 14 protons / cm 2 . The currents increased by a factor of ∼ 10 3 at a fluence of ∼ 10 15 protons / cm 2 . The currents also fluctuated unstably at these fluences but this unstable behavior was not observed after a few months. Intrinsic defects may have been induced by particle irradiation and some of them annealed through a relaxation process. Under electron irradiation, the dark currents did not show a notable increase even with the fluence of ∼ 10 16 electrons / cm 2 .

The existence of a non-zero electric dipole moment (EDM) implies the violation of time reversal symmetry. As the time-reversal symmetry violation predicted by the Standard Model (SM) for the electron EDM is too small to be observed with current experimental techniques and any a non-zero EDM would indicate new physics beyond the SM. The tiny signal from the electron EDM is enhanced in the heavy atoms such as francium (Fr). We are constructing the laser-cooled Fr factory to search for the electron EDM.

The frequency dependent polarizabilities of the francium atom are calculated from the available data of energy levels and transition rates. Magic wavelengths for the state insensitive optical dipole trapping are identified from the calculated light shifts of the $7s~^2S_{1/2}$, $7p~^2P_{1/2, 3/2}$ and $8s~^{2}S_{1/2}$ levels of the $7s~^{2}S_{1/2}-7p~^{2}P_{1/2,3/2}$ and $7s~^{2}S_{1/2}-8s~^{2}S_{1/2}$ transitions, respectively. Wavelengths in the ultraviolet, visible and near infrared region is identified that are suitable for cooling and trapping. Magic wavelengths between 600-700~nm and 700-1000~nm region, which are blue and red detuned with the $7s-7p$ and $7s-8s$ transitions are feasible to implement as lasers with sufficient power are available. In addition, we calculated the tune-out wavelengths where the ac polarizability of the ground $7s~^{2}S_{1/2}$ state in francium is zero. These results are beneficial as laser cooled and trapped francium has been in use for fundamental symmetry investigations like searches for an electron permanent electric dipole moment in an atom and for atomic parity non-conservation., Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in Physical Review A

Employing the relativistic coupled-cluster method, comparative studies of the parity nonconserving electric dipole amplitudes for the $7s\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}^{2}S_{1/2}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}6d\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}^{2}D_{5/2}$ transitions in $^{210}\mathrm{Fr}$ and $^{211}\mathrm{Fr}$ isotopes have been carried out. It is found that these transition amplitudes, sensitive only to the nuclear spin-dependent effects, are enhanced substantially owing to the very large contributions from the electron core-polarization effects in Fr. This translates to a relatively large and, in principle, measurable induced light shift, which would be a signature of nuclear spin-dependent parity nonconservation that is dominated by the nuclear anapole moment in a heavy atom like Fr. A plausible scheme to measure this quantity using the Cyclotron and Radioisotope Center (CYRIC) facility at Tohoku University has been outlined.

In order to search for the α condensed state in 16 O , we have performed the decay particle measurement via the [Formula: see text] reaction. Although the decay branching ratio of the α + 12 C channel was predicted to be small, the branching ratio between the α + 12 C and [Formula: see text] channels was obtained to be 7:3 by using the result of a simple simulation.

It is a major and complex task to accelerate an ion which has the same charge to mass ratio with strong contaminant ions, such as 12C4+ in the 18O6+ beam. An innovative method has been developed to suppress the contaminant ions in the Electron Cyclotron Resonance (ECR) ion source by introducing Li vapor. The ion distribution inside the ECR zone was obtained by the optical analysis of ions inside the ECR ion source. The 12C4+ ions were suppressed as much as by a factor of 10, whereas the 18O6+ beam changed little with the use of this technique.

Inclusive measurements of the D(p, p)pn reaction were made at incident proton energies of 248 MeV and 13 MeV, to investigate the global feature of the pd breakup reaction at intermediate and low energies. At 248 MeV, the cross section and analyzing power A y were measured at four angles from 7° to 20°. The data largely disagree with Faddeev calculations even if 2π-exchange three-nucleon force (2π3NF) or Δ-isobar is included, and the disagreement increases at forward angles. At 13 MeV, the cross section was measured at eight angles from 10° to 70°. The data are well reproduced by a recent pd Faddeev calculation, and the effects of Δ-isobar at 13 MeV are very small.

New measurement of the energy dependence of pion production on a copper target near 350-MeV proton energy has been performed. The E-170 experiment has been carried out at the Ring Cyclotron Facility of the Research Center for Nuclear Physics, Osaka University, Japan. A small enhancement of the low-energy pion production cross section was observed near the incident proton energy of 352 MeV.

We report measurements of the cross section and a complete set of polarization observables for the Gamow–Teller C 12 ( p → , n → ) N 12 ( g.s. , 1 + ) reaction at a bombarding energy of 296 MeV. The data are compared with distorted wave impulse approximation calculations employing transition form factors normalized to reproduce the observed beta-decay ft value. The cross section is significantly under-predicted by the calculations at momentum transfers q ≳ 0.5 fm −1 . The discrepancy is partly resolved by considering the non-locality of the nuclear mean field. However, the calculations still under-predict the cross section at large momentum transfers of q ≃ 1.6 fm −1 . We also performed calculations employing random phase approximation response functions and found that the observed enhancement can be attributed in part to pionic correlations in nuclei.

Inelastic α scattering on 16 O is studied at 400 MeV using an ice target. Near the 4 α breakup threshold of 14.4 MeV, a broad peak is observed at an excitation energy of 13.6 ± 0.1 MeV with a width of 0.6 ± 0.2 MeV . The spin-parity is estimated to be 0 + from the momentum-transfer dependence. The observed width is significantly larger than that of the 0 + state at 12.0 MeV with the α + C 12 structure, indicating a well-developed α cluster structure. The magnitude of the cross section is sensitive to the density distribution of the constituent α clusters. The observed cross section is consistent with the theoretical prediction for the α cluster condensed state, characterized by its dilute density distribution with a large root-mean-square radius.

The cross sections and spin observables of the pd elastic scattering have been measured at 392 MeV. The results are compared with the prediction of Faddeev calculations with and without including a three nucleon force.

A measurement of tensor analyzing power A x x and A y y of H ( d → , He 3 ) γ reaction at E d → = 137 MeV was made at RCNP. Both the relation of A x x ≈ A y y and the discrepancy in A x x between experiment and calculations were confirmed at 137 MeV, in consistent with our previous measurement at 196 MeV. Present data are compared with KVI data at 133 MeV.

8 pages, 5 figures.-- PACS nrs.: 25.40.Ep, 25.70.De.-- ISI Article Identifier: 000247257800008., Published in the Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Collective Motion in Nuclei under Extreme Conditions (COMEX 2). Sankt Goar, Germany, June 20-23, 2006., Experimental technique for measuring proton inelastic scattering with high-resolution at 295 MeV and at forward angles including zero degrees have been successfully developed. An excitation energy resolution of less than 20 keV, good scattering angle resolution, low background condition, and reasonable background subtraction have been achieved. The experimental technique have been applied for several sd and pf shell nuclei for systematic study M1 and E1 excitations in nuclei. The experimental method and preliminary spectra are reported.

We report measurements of the cross section and a complete set of polarization observables for the Si 28 ( p → , n → ) P 28 ( 6 − ) reaction at a bombarding energy of 198 MeV. The data are compared with distorted wave impulse approximation calculations employing response functions normalized to inelastic electron scattering. The spin-longitudinal polarized cross section I D q is slightly over-predicted by the calculations, while the normal spin-transverse polarized cross section I D n is significantly under-predicted. The calculated in-plane spin-transverse I D p and spin-scalar I D 0 polarized cross sections agree well with the experimental data. These results are consistent with those for Si 28 ( p → , p → ′ ) Si 28 ( 6 − , T = 1 ) scattering at the same energy, and thus it is concluded that isospin-mixing effects are not responsible for the discrepancy between theory and experiment in the ( p → , p → ′ ) case. Energy half-off-shell effects as medium effects on the effective nucleon–nucleon interaction are also investigated and found to be too small to be responsible for the discrepancy.

Differential cross sections of isoscalar and isovector spin-M1 (0(+)→1(+)) transitions are measured using high-energy-resolution proton inelastic scattering at E(p)=295 MeV on (24)Mg, (28)Si, (32)S, and (36)Ar at 0°-14°. The squared spin-M1 nuclear transition matrix elements are deduced from the measured differential cross sections by applying empirically determined unit cross sections based on the assumption of isospin symmetry. The ratios of the squared nuclear matrix elements accumulated up to E(x)=16 MeV compared to a shell-model prediction are 1.01(9) for isoscalar and 0.61(6) for isovector spin-M1 transitions, respectively. Thus, no quenching is observed for isoscalar spin-M1 transitions, while the matrix elements for isovector spin-M1 transitions are quenched by an amount comparable with the analogous Gamow-Teller transitions on those target nuclei.

We demonstrate the importance of electron correlation effects in the hyperfine structure constants of many low-lying states in $^{210}\mathrm{Fr}$ and $^{212}\mathrm{Fr}$. This is achieved by calculating the magnetic dipole and electric quadrupole hyperfine structure constants using the Dirac-Fock approximation, second-order many-body perturbation theory, and the coupled-cluster method in the singles and doubles approximation in the relativistic framework. By combining our recommended theoretical results with the corresponding experimental values, improved nuclear magnetic dipole and electric quadrupole moments of the above isotopes are determined. In the present work, it is observed that there are large discrepancies between the hyperfine structure constants of the $7{D}_{5/2}$ state obtained from the experimental and theoretical studies, whereas good agreement is found for the other ${D}_{5/2}$ states. Our estimated hyperfine constants for the $8P,\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}6D,\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}10S$, and $11S$ states could be very useful as benchmarks for the measurement of these quantities.

Experimental method of measuring inelastic proton scattering with high-resolution at forward angles including zero degrees has been developed. An energy resolution of 20 keV and a scattering angle resolution of 0.5 degrees have been achieved as well as low background condition and a reliable background subtraction method. The experimental technique was applied to the 12 C (p,p′) reaction for studying the property of the second 0+ state at 7.7 MeV and a broad bump around Ex~10 MeV , where the presence of a 2+ state was reported from the 12 C (α,α′) measurement. Preliminary spectra and angular distributions are shown.

The cross section of the O16(p,p′)O16(0−,T=1) scattering was measured at a bombarding energy of 295 MeV in the momentum transfer range of 1.0fm−1⩽qc.m.⩽2.1fm−1. The isovector 0− state at Ex=12.8MeV is clearly separated from its neighboring states owing to the high energy resolution of about 30 keV. The cross section data were compared with distorted wave impulse approximation (DWIA) calculations employing shell-model wave functions. The observed cross sections around qc.m.≃1.7fm−1 are significantly larger than obtained by these calculations, suggesting pionic enhancement as a precursor of pion condensation in nuclei. The data are well reproduced by DWIA calculations using random phase approximation response functions including the Δ isobar that predict pionic enhancement.

The two charge exchange reactions 14N(d, 2He)14C and 14N(3He, t)14O were studied with high resolution in order to identify the Gamow–Teller (GT) strength distribution starting from the ground state (g.s.) of 14N in the β− and β+ directions. The isospin symmetry in the A = 14 mass system is investigated. An overview of the main features of the experimental investigation is summarized here.

In order to study the Gamow–Teller (GT) transitions in the fp-shell nucleus 64Cu, the 64Ni(3He, t)64Cu charge-exchange reaction was investigated at MeV/nucleon [1]. The outgoing tritons were momentum analysed by the Grand Raiden spectrometer at 0°. The very high energy resolution of 35 keV (FWHM) allowed the separation of individual levels in the excitation energy region from 0 to 3.5 MeV. An angular distribution analysis was performed for the observed transitions to these states. In addition to the ground state (g.s.), known to be a Jπ = 1+ GT state, several excited states showed L = 0 nature, making them candidates of GT states. At higher excitation energies, the level density becomes very high and a bump-like structure, the so-called GT Giant Resonance, dominates the spectrum.

Double differential cross sections between 0-12 degrees were measured for the 90Zr(n,p) reaction at 293 MeV over a wide excitation energy range of 0-70 MeV. A multipole decomposition technique was applied to the present data as well as the previously obtained 90Zr(p,n) data to extract the Gamow-Teller (GT) component from the continuum. The GT quenching factor Q was derived by using the obtained total GT strengths. The result is Q=0.88+/-0.06 not including an overall normalization uncertainty in the GT unit cross section of 16%., Comment: 11 papes, 4 figures, submitted to Physics Letters B (accepted), gzipped tar file, changed contents

The photo-production of ϕ mesons from Li, C, Al, and Cu at forward angles has been measured at E γ = 1.5 – 2.4 GeV . The number of events for incoherent ϕ photo-production is found to have a target mass number dependence of A 0.72 ± 0.07 in the kinematical region of | t | ⩽ 0.6 GeV 2 / c 2 . The total cross section of the ϕ –nucleon interaction, σ ϕ N , has been estimated as 35 −11 +17 mb using the A -dependence of the ϕ photo-production yield and a Glauber-type multiple scattering theory. This value is much larger than σ ϕ N in free space, suggesting that the ϕ properties might change in the nuclear medium.

Decay particles from the s-hole states in 11B and 15N have been measured in coincidence with the quasifree 12C(p, 2p) and 16O(p, 2p) reactions at Ep=392 MeV. Triton decay is found to be dominant for the 11B(s-hole) state and also found to be larger than α decay for the 15N(s-hole) state despite its smaller Q value compared to α decay. Measured decay branching ratios are discussed in comparison with the results of statistical-model, SU(3)-model, and shell-model calculations. The energy spectra around the s-hole states in both 11B and 15N exhibit some bumplike structures, which can be qualitatively explained by recent shell-model calculations for both nuclei.

We have measured angular distributions of the differential cross-section, the analyzing power and all of the spin transfer coefficients K y y′ , K x x′ , K z x′ , K x z′ , and K z z′ for the pd elastic scattering at 250 MeV. These are the first measurements of a complete set of proton polarization observables for pd elastic scattering at intermediate energies. The present data are compared with theoretical predictions based on exact solutions of the three-nucleon Faddeev equations and modern realistic nucleon-nucleon potentials combined with three-nucleon forces (3NF), namely the Tucson-Melbourne (TM) 2π-exchange model, a modification thereof (TM′) closer to chiral symmetry, and the Urbana IX model.

The measurements of the 3-α decay from the Hoyle and the broad 10 MeV state in12C have been performed using an inverse kinematic method of the12C(12C,3α)12C reaction at E12C = 110 MeV. In the measurement of the Hoyle state, the upper limit of the direct decay was improved to be 0.2 %. This was inconsistent with the recent reported nonzero value of 0.9 %, but an order larger than the direct decay branch predicted in the 3-α model. The branching ratios of the sequtial decay for the broad 10 MeV state were also obtained. They were higher than those obtained in the RCNP experiment, since they contained the contributions of higer multipole components. Their contributions will be estimated.

The direct 3α decay branch from the 02+ state at Ex=7.65 MeV in 12C, which is known as the Hoyle state, is considered to affect the triple-α reaction rate strongly and to give crucial information on its structure. We have performed a high-precision measurement of the 3α decay from this state using the 12C(12C,3α)12C reaction at E12C=110 MeV. The branching ratio of the direct 3α decay was under the detection limit in the present experiment. By comparing with Monte Carlo simulations for three decay mechanisms as the sequential decay through the ground state of ^{8}Be, the direct decay with equal energies of three α particles, and the direct decay to the phase space uniformly, we have obtained the upper limit of 0.2% on the direct 3α decay.

We present here the first evidence of photodesorption induced by low-intensity non-resonant light from an yttrium thin foil, which works as a neutralizer for Rb and Fr ions beam. Neutral atoms are suddenly ejected from the metal surface in a pulsed regime upon illumination with a broadband flash light and then released in the free volume of a pyrex cells. Here atoms are captured by a Magneto-Optical Trap (MOT), which is effectively loaded by the photodesorption. Loading times of the order of the flash rise time are measured. Desorption is also obtained in the continuous regime, by exploiting CW visible illumination of the metallic neutralizer surface. We demonstrate that at lower CW light intensities vacuum conditions are not perturbed by the photodesorption and hence the MOT dynamics remains unaffected, while the trap population increases thanks to the incoming desorbed atoms flux. Even with the Y foil at room temperature and hence with no trapped atoms, upon visible illumination, the number of trapped atoms reaches 10(5). The experimental data are then analyzed by means of an analytical rate equation model, which allows the analysis of this phenomenon and its dynamics and allows the determination of critical experimental parameters and the test of the procedure in the framework of radioactive Francium trapping. In this view, together with an extensive investigation of the phenomenon with (85)Rb, the first demonstration of the photodesorption-aided loading of a (210)Fr MOT is shown.

A high-resolution magnetic spectrometer called “Grand Raiden” is operated at the RCNP ring cyclotron facility in Osaka for nuclear physics studies at intermediate energies. This magnetic spectrometer has excellent ion-optical properties. In the design of the spectrometer, the second-order dispersion matching condition has been taken into account, and almost all the aberration terms such as (x|θ 3 ), (x|θφ 2 ), (x|θ 2 δ) and (x|θδ2) in a third-order matrix calculation are optimized. A large magnetic rigidity of the spectrometer ( K = 1400 MeV) gives a great advantage to measure the charge-exchange (3He, t) reactions at 450 MeV. The ability of the high-resolution measurement has been demonstrated. Various coincidence measurements are performed to study the nuclear structures of highly excited states through decay properties of nuclear levels following nuclear reactions at intermediate energies.

Spin-polarised atomic hydrogen is used as a gaseous polarised proton target in high energy and nuclear physics experiments operating with internal beams in storage rings. When such beams are intense and bunched, this type of target can be depolarised by a resonant interaction with the transient magnetic field generated by the beam bunches. This effect has been studied with the HERA positron beam in the HERMES experiment at DESY. Resonances have been observed and a simple analytic model has been used to explain their shape and position. Operating conditions for the experiment have been found where there is no significant target depolarisation due to this effect., REVTEX, 6 pages, 5 figures

In our previous measurement of pd radiative capture at Ed = 137 and 196 MeV, we found an interesting fact that the measured tensor analyzing powers show the relation Axx ≈ Ayy, although calculated Axx and Ayy are apparently different, Axx ≠ Ayy. The measured Ayy agrees fairly well with the 3N calculations, and the measured Axx largely disagrees with calculated Axx. Similar experiments on pd capture have been made at KVI at nearly the same energies of 130–180 MeV. The KVI data also support Axx ≈ Ayy relation, but absolute values of Axx and Ayy at KVI are about half of RCNP data. Therefore, we made a new experiment of pd capture at Ed = 196 MeV. Azz was measured in three different ways, and data analysis is in progress. Preliminary data seem to support our previous data.

We demonstrate the simultaneous magneto-optical trapping (MOT) of Rb and Sr and examine the characteristic loss of Rb in the MOT due to photoionization by the cooling laser for Sr. The photoionization cross section of Rb in the $5P_{3/2}$ state at 461 nm is determined to be $1.4(1)\times10^{-17}$ cm$^2$. It is important to consider this loss rate to realize a sufficiently large number of trapped Rb atoms to achieve a quantum degenerate mixture of Rb and Sr., 5 pages, 5 figures

We report measurements of cross sections and analyzing powers for reaction angles of θlab = 0.0°-10.0° and complete sets of polarization transfer observables and induced polarizations at θlab = 0.0°-7.0° for the 208Pb(p,n) reaction at a bombarding energy of Tp = 296 MeV. A multipole decomposition technique was applied to the data to extract the spin-dipole (SD) components from the continuum. The polarization observables were also used, for the first time, to separate the SD components into different spin-parity transfer (ΔJπ = 0−, 1−, and 2−) contributions. The SD strength distributions were clearly dependent on ΔJπ, which is reasonably reproduced by Hartree-Fock (HF) plus random phase approximation (RPA) calculations that include the Skyrme interaction with tensor components [C. L. Bai et al., Phys. Rev. C 83, 054316 (2011)].

Spin-isospin excitations in {sup 208}Bi have been investigated using the {sup 208}Pb ({sup 3}He,{ital t}){sup 208}Bi reaction at near {theta}{approx}0{degree} at {ital E}({sup 3}He)=450 MeV. The microscopic structure of the Gamow-Teller resonance (GTR), the isobaric analog state (IAS), and the spin-flip dipole ({Delta}{ital L}=1) resonance (SDR) in {sup 208}Bi has been studied by observing their direct proton decays to the low-lying neutron-hole states in {sup 207}Pb. Decay protons were measured at backward angles in coincidence with tritons detected at and near 0{degree}. The total branching ratio for proton decay from the GTR is determined to be only 4.9{plus_minus}1.3%. The total branching ratio for proton decay from the SDR amounts to 14.1{plus_minus}4.2%. The deduced total widths as well as the total and partial proton escape widths of the GRR and IAS are found to be in reasonable agreement with recent theoretical estimates obtained in the framework of the continuum Tamm-Dancoff approximation.

Francium is the heaviest species among the alkali elements. Due to its properties, francium is said to be of advantage in measurements of tiny observations, such as atomic parity violation and electric dipole moment. Before executing experiments with francium, it must be produced artificially because it is one of the most unstable elements. We produced francium with the nuclear fusion reaction of an oxygen beam and gold target, ionized the produced francium through a thermal ionization process, and extracted the ion with electrostatic fields. However, the thermal ionization process is known to ionize not only an objective atom but also other atomic species. Therefore, a Wien filter was installed to analyze the composition of the ion beam and purify the beam. This allowed us to improve the beam purity from ∼10(-6) to ∼10(-3).

Motivated by the need of spectroscopic data to better understand the astrophysical rp-process, we developed a new experimental method using the Grand Raiden magnet spectrometer to study protin rich nuclei with α and 3 He induced reactions. First results of the 24 Mg( 4 He, 6 He) 22 Mg reaction at 206 MeV and 0° are presented, showing states relevant for resonant reaction rate calculations of the proton capture 21 Na(p,γ) 22 Mg and the 18 Ne(α,p) 21 Na reaction which controls the break-out of the hot CNO cycles at X-ray burst conditions.

We report measurements of cross sections and analyzing powers for reaction angles of ${\ensuremath{\theta}}_{\mathrm{lab}}={0.0}^{\ensuremath{\circ}}$--${10.0}^{\ensuremath{\circ}}$ and complete sets of polarization transfer observables and induced polarizations at ${\ensuremath{\theta}}_{\mathrm{lab}}={0.0}^{\ensuremath{\circ}}$--${7.0}^{\ensuremath{\circ}}$ for the ${}^{208}\mathrm{Pb}(\stackrel{P\vec}{p},\stackrel{P\vec}{n})$ reaction at a bombarding energy of ${T}_{p}=296$ MeV. A multipole decomposition technique was applied to the data to extract the Gamow-Teller (GT) and spin-dipole (SD) components from the continuum. The polarization observables were also used, for the first time, to separate the SD components into different spin-parity transfer ($\ensuremath{\Delta}{J}^{\ensuremath{\pi}}={0}^{\ensuremath{-}}$, ${1}^{\ensuremath{-}}$, and ${2}^{\ensuremath{-}}$) contributions. A significant strength with $\ensuremath{\Delta}{J}^{\ensuremath{\pi}}={1}^{+}$ is identified in the continuum beyond the GT giant resonance, which is due to configuration mixing effects and the isovector spin monopole (IVSM) contribution. The SD strength distributions were clearly dependent on $\ensuremath{\Delta}{J}^{\ensuremath{\pi}}$, which is reasonably reproduced by Hartree-Fock (HF) plus random phase approximation (RPA) calculations that include the Skyrme interaction with tensor components [Phys. Rev. C 83, 054316 (2011)].