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The proton drip-line nucleus 17Ne is investigated experimentally in order to determine its two-proton halo character. A fully exclusive measurement of the 17Ne(p,2p)16F->15O+p quasi-free one-proton knockout reaction has been performed at GSI at around 500 MeV/nucleon beam energy. All particles resulting from the scattering process have been detected. The relevant reconstructed quantities are the angles of the two protons scattered in quasi-elastic kinematics, the decay of 16F into 15O (including gamma decays from excited states) and a proton, as well as the 15O+p relative-energy spectrum and the 16F momentum distributions. The latter two quantities allow an independent and consistent determination of the ratio of l=0 and l=2 motion of the valence protons in 17Ne. With a resulting relatively small l=0 component of only around 35(3)%, it is concluded that 17Ne exhibits a rather modest halo character only. The quantitative agreement of the two values deduced from the energy spectrum and the momentum distributions supports the theoretical treatment of the calculation of momentum distributions after quasi-free knockout reactions at high energies by taking into account distortions based on the Glauber theory. Moreover, the experimental data allow the separation of valence-proton knockout and knockout from the 15O core. The latter process contributes with 11.8(3.1) mb around 40% to the total proton-knockout cross section of 30.3(2.3) mb, which explains previously reported contradicting conclusions derived from inclusive cross sections., Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures

The evolution of the traditional nuclear magic numbers away from the valley of stability is an active field of research. Experimental efforts focus on providing key spectroscopic information that will shed light into the structure of exotic nuclei and understanding the driving mechanism behind the shell evolution. In this work, we investigate the Z = 6 spin-orbit shell gap towards the neutron dripline. To do so, we employed $^{A}$N(p,2p)$^{A-1}$C quasi-free scattering reactions to measure the proton component of the 2$^+_1$ state of $^{16,18,20}$C. The experimental findings support the notion of a moderate reduction of the proton 1p$_{1/2}$-1p$_{3/2}$ spin-orbit splitting, at variance to recent claims for a prevalent Z = 6 magic number towards the neutron dripline., Comment: 27 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables. Submitted to Physics Letter B

The single particle and bulk properties of the neutron-rich nuclei constrain fundamental issues in nuclear physics and nuclear astrophysics like the limits of existence of quantum many body systems (atomic nuclei), the equation of state of neutron-rich matter, neutron star, nucleosynthesis, evolution of stars, neutron star merging etc.. The state of the art of Coulomb breakup of the neutron-rich nuclei has been used to explore those properties. Unambiguous information on detailed components of the ground-state wave-function along with quantum numbers of the valence neutron of the nuclei have been obtained from the measurement of threshold strength along with the $\gamma$-rays spectra of the core following Coulomb breakup. The shape of this threshold strength is a finger-print of the quantum numbers of the nucleon. We investigated the ground-state properties of the neutron-rich Na, Mg, Al nuclei around N $\sim$ 20 using this method at GSI, Darmstadt. Very clear evidence has been observed for melting and merging of long cherished magic shell gaps at N = 20, 28. The evanescent neutron-rich nuclei imprint their existence in stellar explosive scenarios (r-process etc.). Coulomb dissociation (CD) is one of the important indirect measurements of the capture cross-section which may provide valuable input to the model for star evolution process, particularly the r-process. Some valuable bulk properties of the neutron-rich nuclei like the density dependent symmetry energy,neutron skin etc. play a key role in understanding cosmic phenomena and these properties have been studied via electromagnetic excitation. Preliminary results of electromagnetic excitation of the neutron-rich nucleus, $^{32}$Mg are presented., Comment: Talk presented CIPANP2018. 9 pages, LaTeX, 10 eps figures

The emission of neutron pairs from the neutron-rich $N\!=\!12$ isotones $^{18}$C and $^{20}$O has been studied by high-energy nucleon knockout from $^{19}$N and $^{21}$O secondary beams, populating unbound states of the two isotones up to 15~MeV above their two-neutron emission thresholds. The analysis of triple fragment-$n$-$n$ correlations shows that the decay $^{19}$N$(-1p)^{18}$C$^*\!\rightarrow^{16}$C+$n$+$n$ is clearly dominated by direct pair emission. The two-neutron correlation strength, the largest ever observed, suggests the predominance of a $^{14}$C core surrounded by four valence neutrons arranged in strongly correlated pairs. On the other hand, a significant competition of a sequential branch is found in the decay $^{21}$O$(-1n)^{20}$O$^*\!\rightarrow^{18}$O+$n$+$n$, attributed to its formation through the knockout of a deeply-bound neutron that breaks the $^{16}$O core and reduces the number of pairs., Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Lett

Background: Odd-odd nuclei, around doubly closed shells, have been extensively used to study proton-neutron interactions. However, the evolution of these interactions as a function of the binding energy, ultimately when nuclei become unbound, is poorly known. The $^{26}$F nucleus, composed of a deeply bound $\pi0d\_{5/2}$ proton and an unbound $\nu0d\_{3/2}$ neutron on top of an $^{24}$O core, is particularly adapted for this purpose. The coupling of this proton and neutron results in a $J^{\pi} = 1^{+}\_1 - 4^{+}\_1$ multiplet, whose energies must be determined to study the influence of the proximity of the continuum on the corresponding proton-neutron interaction. The $J^{\pi} = 1^{+}\_1, 2^{+}\_1,4^{+}\_1$ bound states have been determined, and only a clear identification of the $J^{\pi} =3^{+}\_1$ is missing.Purpose: We wish to complete the study of the $J^{\pi} = 1^{+}\_1 - 4^{+}\_1$ multiplet in $^{26}$F, by studying the energy and width of the $J^{\pi} =3^{+}\_1$ unbound state. The method was firstly validated by the study of unbound states in $^{25}$F, for which resonances were already observed in a previous experiment.Method: Radioactive beams of $^{26}$Ne and $^{27}$Ne, produced at about $440A$\,MeV by the FRagment Separator at the GSI facility, were used to populate unbound states in $^{25}$F and $^{26}$F via one-proton knockout reactions on a CH$\_2$ target, located at the object focal point of the R$^3$B/LAND setup. The detection of emitted $\gamma$-rays and neutrons, added to the reconstruction of the momentum vector of the $A-1$ nuclei, allowed the determination of the energy of three unbound states in $^{25}$F and two in $^{26}$F. Results: Based on its width and decay properties, the first unbound state in $^{25}$F is proposed to be a $J^{\pi} = 1/2^-$ arising from a $p\_{1/2}$ proton-hole state. In $^{26}$F, the first resonance at 323(33)~keV is proposed to be the $J^{\pi} =3^{+}\_1$ member of the $J^{\pi} = 1^{+}\_1 - 4^{+}\_1$ multiplet. Energies of observed states in $^{25,26}$F have been compared to calculations using the independent-particle shell model, a phenomenological shell-model, and the ab initio valence-space in-medium similarity renormalization group method.Conclusions: The deduced effective proton-neutron interaction is weakened by about 30-40\% in comparison to the models, pointing to the need of implementing the role of the continuum in theoretical descriptions, or to a wrong determination of the atomic mass of $^{26}$F., Comment: 14 pages, 7 figures, 3 tables, submitted to PRC

With the R$^{3}$B-LAND setup at GSI we have measured exclusive relative-energy spectra of the Coulomb dissociation of $^{18}$C at a projectile energy around 425~AMeV on a lead target, which are needed to determine the radiative neutron-capture cross sections of $^{17}$C into the ground state of $^{18}$C. Those data have been used to constrain theoretical calculations for transitions populating excited states in $^{18}$C. This allowed to derive the astrophysical cross section $\sigma^{*}_{\mathrm{n}\gamma}$ accounting for the thermal population of $^{17}$C target states in astrophysical scenarios. The experimentally verified capture rate is significantly lower than those of previously obtained Hauser-Feshbach estimations at temperatures $T_{9}\leq{}1$~GK. Network simulations with updated neutron-capture rates and hydrodynamics according to the neutrino-driven wind model as well as the neutron-star merger scenario reveal no pronounced influence of neutron capture of $^{17}$C on the production of second- and third-peak elements in contrast to earlier sensitivity studies.

Background: Models describing nuclear fragmentation and fragmentation-fission deliver important input for planning nuclear physics experiments and future radioactive ion beam facilities. These models are usually benchmarked against data from stable beam experiments. In the future, two-step fragmentation reactions with exotic nuclei as stepping stones are a promising tool to reach the most neutron-rich nuclei, creating a need for models to describe also these reactions. Purpose: We want to extend the presently available data on fragmentation reactions towards the light exotic region on the nuclear chart. Furthermore, we want to improve the understanding of projectile fragmentation especially for unstable isotopes. Method: We have measured projectile fragments from 10,12-18C and 10-15B isotopes colliding with a carbon target. These measurements were all performed within one experiment, which gives rise to a very consistent dataset. We compare our data to model calculations. Results: One-proton removal cross sections with different final neutron numbers (1pxn) for relativistic 10,12-18C and 10-15B isotopes impinging on a carbon target. Comparing model calculations to the data, we find that EPAX is not able to describe the data satisfactorily. Using ABRABLA07 on the other hand, we find that the average excitation energy per abraded nucleon needs to be decreased from 27 MeV to 8.1 MeV. With that decrease ABRABLA07 describes the data surprisingly well. Conclusions: Extending the available data towards light unstable nuclei with a consistent set of new data have allowed for a systematic investigation of the role of the excitation energy induced in projectile fragmentation. Most striking is the apparent mass dependence of the average excitation energy per abraded nucleon. Nevertheless, this parameter, which has been related to final-state interactions, requires further study.

First results are reported on the ground state configurations of the neutron-rich $^{29,30}$Na isotopes, obtained via Coulomb dissociation (CD) measurements as a method of the direct probe. The invariant mass spectra of those nuclei have been obtained through measurement of the four-momentum of all decay products after Coulomb excitation on a $^{208}Pb$ target at energies of 400-430 MeV/nucleon using FRS-ALADIN-LAND setup at GSI, Darmstadt. Integrated Coulomb-dissociation cross-sections (CD) of 89 $(7)$ mb and 167 $(13)$ mb up to excitation energy of 10 MeV for one neutron removal from $^{29}$Na and $^{30}$Na respectively, have been extracted. The major part of one neutron removal, CD cross-sections of those nuclei populate core, in its' ground state. A comparison with the direct breakup model, suggests the predominant occupation of the valence neutron in the ground state of $^{29}$Na${(3/2^+)}$ and $^{30}$Na${(2^+)}$ is the $d$ orbital with small contribution in the $s$-orbital which are coupled with ground state of the core. The ground state configurations of these nuclei are as $^{28}$Na$_{gs (1^+)\otimes\nu_{s,d}$ and $^{29}$Na$_{gs}(3/2^+)\otimes\nu_{ s,d}$, respectively. The ground state spin and parity of these nuclei, obtained from this experiment are in agreement with earlier reported values. The spectroscopic factors for the valence neutron occupying the $s$ and $d$ orbitals for these nuclei in the ground state have been extracted and reported for the first time. A comparison of the experimental findings with the shell model calculation using MCSM suggests a lower limit of around 4.3 MeV of the sd-pf shell gap in $^{30}$Na., Comment: Modified version of the manuscript is accepted for publication in Journal of Physics G, Jan., 2017

The Coulomb Dissociation (CD) cross sections of the stable isotopes 92,94,100Mo and of the unstable isotope 93Mo were measured at the LAND/R3B setup at GSI Helmholtzzentrum f\"ur Schwerionenforschung in Darmstadt, Germany. Experimental data on these isotopes may help to explain the problem of the underproduction of 92,94Mo and 96,98Ru in the models of p-process nucleosynthesis. The CD cross sections obtained for the stable Mo isotopes are in good agreement with experiments performed with real photons, thus validating the method of Coulomb Dissociation. The result for the reaction 93Mo(g,n) is especially important since the corresponding cross section has not been measured before. A preliminary integral Coulomb Dissociation cross section of the 94Mo(g,n) reaction is presented. Further analysis will complete the experimental database for the (g,n) production chain of the p-isotopes of molybdenum., Comment: Talk given at the Conference Nuclear Physice in Astrophysics VI (NPA6), Lisbon, Portugal, May 19-24 2013. To appear in the NPA6 Proceedings in Journal of Physics: Conference Series (JPCS). 6 pages, 6 figures

The nucleosynthesis of elements beyond iron is dominated by neutron captures in the s and r processes. However, 32 stable, proton-rich isotopes cannot be formed during those processes, because they are shielded from the s-process flow and r-process beta-decay chains. These nuclei are attributed to the p and rp process. For all those processes, current research in nuclear astrophysics addresses the need for more precise reaction data involving radioactive isotopes. Depending on the particular reaction, direct or inverse kinematics, forward or time-reversed direction are investigated to determine or at least to constrain the desired reaction cross sections. The Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR) will offer unique, unprecedented opportunities to investigate many of the important reactions. The high yield of radioactive isotopes, even far away from the valley of stability, allows the investigation of isotopes involved in processes as exotic as the r or rp processes., Comment: Invited Talk given at the Conference Nuclear Physice in Astrophysics VI (NPA6), Lisbon, Portugal, May 19-24 2013. To appear in the NPA6 Proceedings in Journal of Physics: Conference Series (JPCS)

A method that uses fuzzy clustering algorithms to achieve particle identification based on pulse shape analysis is presented. The fuzzy c-means clustering algorithm is used to compute mean (principal) pulse shapes induced by different particle species in an automatic and unsupervised fashion from a mixed set of data. A discrimination amplitude is proposed using these principal pulse shapes to identify the originating particle species of a detector pulse. Since this method does not make any assumptions about the specific features of the pulse shapes, it is very generic and suitable for multiple types of detectors. The method is applied to discriminate between photon- and proton-induced signals in CsI(Tl) scintillator detectors and the results are compared to the well-known integration method., Comment: 7 pages, 7 figures

Exotic Ni isotopes have been measured at the R3B-LAND setup at GSI in Darmstadt, using Coulomb excitation in inverse kinematics at beam energies around 500 MeV/u. As the experimental setup allows kinematically complete measurements, the excitation energy was reconstructed using the invariant mass method. The GDR and additional low-lying strength have been observed in 68Ni, the latter exhausting 4.1(1.9)% of the E1 energy-weighted sum rule. Also, the branching ratio for the non-statistical decay of the excited 68Ni nuclei was measured and amounts to 24(4)%., Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures. Invited Talk given at the 11th International Conference on Nucleus-Nucleus Collisions (NN2012), San Antonio, Texas, USA, May 27-June 1, 2012. To appear in the NN2012 Proceedings in Journal of Physics: Conference Series (JPCS)

The very neutron-rich oxygen isotopes 25O and 26O are investigated experimentally and theoret- ically. In this first R3B-LAND experiment, the unbound states are populated at GSI via proton- knockout reactions from 26F and 27F at relativistic energies around 450 MeV/nucleon. From the kinematically complete measurement of the decay into 24O plus one or two neutrons, the 25O ground- state energy and lifetime are determined, and upper limits for the 26O ground state are extracted. In addition, the results provide evidence for an excited state in 26O at around 4 MeV. The ex- perimental findings are compared to theoretical shell-model calculations based on chiral two- and three-nucleon (3N) forces, including for the first time residual 3N forces, which are shown to be amplified as valence neutrons are added.

Excited states in 38,40,42Si nuclei have been studied via in-beam gamma-ray spectroscopy with multi-nucleon removal reactions. Intense radioactive beams of 40S and 44S provided at the new facility of the RIKEN Radioactive Isotope Beam Factory enabled gamma-gamma coincidence measurements. A prominent gamma line observed with an energy of 742(8) keV in 42Si confirms the 2+ state reported in an earlier study. Among the gamma lines observed in coincidence with the 2+ -> 0+ transition, the most probable candidate for the transition from the yrast 4+ state was identified, leading to a 4+_1 energy of 2173(14) keV. The energy ratio of 2.93(5) between the 2+_1 and 4+_1 states indicates well-developed deformation in 42Si at N=28 and Z=14. Also for 38,40Si energy ratios with values of 2.09(5) and 2.56(5) were obtained. Together with the ratio for 42Si, the results show a rapid deformation development of Si isotopes from N=24 to N=28.

Results are presented from a one-neutron knockout reaction at relativistic energies on 56Ti using the GSI FRS as a two-stage magnetic spectrometer and the Miniball array for gamma-ray detection. Inclusive and exclusive longitudinal momentum distributions and cross-sections were measured enabling the determination of the orbital angular momentum of the populated states. First-time observation of the 955(6) keV nu p3/2-hole state in 55Ti is reported. The measured data for the first time proves that the ground state of 55Ti is a 1/2- state, in agreement with shell-model calculations using the GXPF1A interaction that predict a sizable N=34 gap in 54Ca., Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Physics Letters B 13 pages, 4 figures, resubmitted to Physics Letters B (major revision to meet the suggestions of the reviewers)