Search

The ubiquity of network and internet-connected devices has increased exponentially in the past decade. The proliferation of end-user devices has created a lucrative environment for cybercriminals to exploit unsuspecting users at a personal and organizational level. Moreover, businesses and governments are heavily reliant on cyberspace to conduct their business. According to Accenture, in 2019 South Africa saw a spike in cyberattacks on all fronts—banks, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), utilities and eCommerce platforms. This shows that threat actors are continuously looking to exploit new and old vulnerabilities at ever-increasing rates. Furthermore, threat actors are sharing tactics, tools, and procedures to expand their attack surface and to improve the effectiveness of their attacks. Security research tends to be an insular process and rarely do individuals or groups share threat data. This is due to lack of trust, organizational policies, or simply the inability to get the information out to the masses. The idea behind this paper is to design a context-aware threat intelligence exchange platform that encourages collaboration and creates a federated environment amongst different industry stakeholders to share Indicators of Compromise. This paper further aims to define the process of transforming raw Indicators of Compromise into cyber threat intelligence. The platform described in this paper, when implemented, would provide the basic building blocks for developing a highly effective cybersecurity intelligence-sharing system that can improve vulnerability detectionand remediation by speeding up the time required to identify/resolve incidents.

Low- and medium-spin negative-parity bands of Os187 have been studied using the AFRican Omnipurpose Detector for Innovative Techniques and Experiments (AFRODITE) array, following the W186(He4,3n)Os187 reaction at a beam energy of 37 MeV. In the current work, all the previously known bands have been significantly extended and three new bands have been added to the level scheme. The angular distribution ratio (RAD) and polarization measurements have been used to assign spin and parity to the observed new levels. The configurations of some of the bands have been modified. The observed bands are interpreted within the cranked shell model (CSM) and cranked Nilsson-Strutinsky-Bogoliubov (CNSB) formalism. Comparison with experimental data shows good agreements. Systematic comparison with the neighboring Os185 isotope is also discussed. (Less)

International audience; Excited states in Ba131 and Ce133 were studied using in-beam γ-ray spectroscopy through the Sn122(C13,4n)Ba131 and Te125(C12,4n)Ce133 reactions, respectively. A strongly coupled band, associated with the νg7/2[404]7/2+ configuration, was identified in Ba131 and Ce133. It is the first time to observe the νg7/2[404]7/2+ bands in the N=75 isotones. The signature partners exhibit considerable energy splitting in comparison with those in the πg7/2[404]7/2+ bands in the odd-A Ta and Re isotopes. Extensive cranked shell model and quasiparticle-plus-triaxial-rotor model calculations reveal the origin of the signature splitting, which depends not only on the triaxiality, but also on the configuration mixing with nearby low-j orbitals.

CITATION: Majola, S. N. T. et al. 2019. β and γ bands in N=88, 90, and 92 isotones investigated with a five-dimensional collective Hamiltonian based on covariant density functional theory: Vibrations, shape coexistence, and superdeformation. Physical Review C, 100(4). doi:10.1103/PhysRevC.100.044324.

A comprehensive systematic study is made for the collective β and γ bands in even-even isotopes with neutron numbers N=88 to 92 and proton numbers Z=62(Sm) to 70 (Yb). Data, including excitation energies, B(E0) and B(E2) values, and branching ratios from previously published experiments are collated with new data presented for the first time in this study. The experimental data are compared to calculations using a five-dimensional collective Hamiltonian (5DCH) based on the covariant density functional theory (CDFT). A realistic potential in the quadrupole shape parameters V(β,γ) is determined from potential energy surfaces (PES) calculated using the CDFT. The parameters of the 5DCH are fixed and contained within the CDFT. Overall, a satisfactory agreement is found between the data and the calculations. In line with the energy staggering S(I) of the levels in the 2γ+ bands, the potential energy surfaces of the CDFT calculations indicate γ-soft shapes in the N=88 nuclides, which become γ rigid for N=90 and N=92. The nature of the 02+ bands changes with atomic number. In the isotopes of Sm to Dy, they can be understood as β vibrations, but in the Er and Yb isotopes the 02+ bands have wave functions with large components in a triaxial superdeformed minimum. In the vicinity of 152Sm, the present calculations predict a soft potential in the β direction but do not find two coexisting minima. This is reminiscent of 152Sm exhibiting an X(5) behavior. The model also predicts that the 03+ bands are of two-phonon nature, having an energy twice that of the 02+ band. This is in contradiction with the data and implies that other excitation modes must be invoked to explain their origin. peerReviewed

International audience; A comprehensive systematic study is made for the collective β and γ bands in even-even isotopes with neutron numbers N=88 to 92 and proton numbers Z=62(Sm) to 70 (Yb). Data, including excitation energies, B(E0) and B(E2) values, and branching ratios from previously published experiments are collated with new data presented for the first time in this study. The experimental data are compared to calculations using a five-dimensional collective Hamiltonian (5DCH) based on the covariant density functional theory (CDFT). A realistic potential in the quadrupole shape parameters V(β,γ) is determined from potential energy surfaces (PES) calculated using the CDFT. The parameters of the 5DCH are fixed and contained within the CDFT. Overall, a satisfactory agreement is found between the data and the calculations. In line with the energy staggering S(I) of the levels in the 2γ+ bands, the potential energy surfaces of the CDFT calculations indicate γ-soft shapes in the N=88 nuclides, which become γ rigid for N=90 and N=92. The nature of the 02+ bands changes with atomic number. In the isotopes of Sm to Dy, they can be understood as β vibrations, but in the Er and Yb isotopes the 02+ bands have wave functions with large components in a triaxial superdeformed minimum. In the vicinity of Sm152, the present calculations predict a soft potential in the β direction but do not find two coexisting minima. This is reminiscent of Sm152 exhibiting an X(5) behavior. The model also predicts that the 03+ bands are of two-phonon nature, having an energy twice that of the 02+ band. This is in contradiction with the data and implies that other excitation modes must be invoked to explain their origin.