Search

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 $(Z=40,N=50)$.

The ground state properties of Mg-31 indicate a change of nuclear shape at N = 19 with a deformed J(pi) = 1/2(+) intruder state as a ground state, implying that Mg-31 is part of the "island of inversion". The collective properties of excited states were the subject of a Coulomb excitation experiment at REX-ISOLDE, CERN, employing a radioactive Mg-31 beam. De-excitation gamma-rays were detected by the MINIBALL gamma-spectrometer in coincidence with scattered particles in a segmented Si-detector. The level scheme of Mg-3I was extended. Spin and parity assignment of the 945 keV state yielded 5/2(+) and its de-excitation is dominated by a strong collective M1 transition. Comparison of the transition probabilities of Mg-30,Mg-31,Mg-32 establishes that for the N = 19 magnesium isotope not only the ground state but also excited states are largely dominated by a deformed pf intruder configuration. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.