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To detect and track structural changes in atomic nuclei, the systematic study of nuclear levels with firm spin-parity assignments is important. While linear polarization measurements have been applied to determine the electromagnetic character of gamma-ray transitions, the applicable range is strongly limited due to the low efficiency of the detection system. The multi-layer Cadmium-Telluride (CdTe) Compton camera can be a state-of-the-art gamma-ray polarimeter for nuclear spectroscopy with the high position sensitivity and the detection efficiency. We demonstrated the capability to operate this detector as a reliable gamma-ray polarimeter by using polarized 847-keV gamma rays produced by the $^{56}\rm{Fe}({\it p},{\it p'}\gamma)$ reaction. By combining the experimental data and simulated calculations, the modulation curve for the gamma ray was successfully obtained. A remarkably high polarization sensitivity was achieved, compatible with a reasonable detection efficiency. Based on the obtained results, a possible future gamma-ray polarimetery is discussed.

Excited states in the $T_z = 0, -1$ nuclei $^{62}$Ga and $^{62}$Ge were populated in direct reactions of relativistic radioactive ion beams at the RIBF. Coincident \grays were measured with the DALI2$^+$ array and uniquely assigned to the $A=62$ isobars. In addition, $^{62}$Ge was also studied independently at JYFL-ACCLAB using the ${}^{24}$Mg(${}^{40}$Ca,$2n$)${}^{62}$Ge fusion-evaporation reaction. The first excited $T=1, J^\pi =2^+$ states in $^{62}$Ga and $^{62}$Ge were identified at $979(1)$ and $965(1)$~keV, respectively, resolving discrepant interpretations in the literature. States beyond the first $2^+$ state in $^{62}$Ge were also identified for the first time in the present work. The results are compared with shell-model calculations in the $fp$ model space. Mirror and triplet energy differences are analyzed in terms of individual charge-symmetry and charge-independence breaking contributions. The MED results confirm the shrinkage of the $p$-orbits' radii when they are occupied by at least one nucleon on average., Comment: aceepted Phys. Lett. B

Background: The nucleus $^{32}$Mg ($N=20$ and $Z=12$) plays a central role in the so-called "island of inversion" where in the ground states $sd$-shell neutrons are promoted to the $fp$-shell orbitals across the shell gap, resulting in the disappearance of the canonical neutron magic number $N=20$. Purpose: The primary goals of this work are to extend the level scheme of $^{32}$Mg, provide spin-parity assignments to excited states, and discuss the microscopic structure of each state through comparisons with theoretical calculations. Method: In-beam $\gamma$-ray spectroscopy of $^{32}$Mg was performed using two direct-reaction probes, one-neutron (two-proton) knockout reactions on $^{33}$Mg ($^{34}$Si). Final-state exclusive cross sections and parallel momentum distributions were extracted from the experimental data and compared with eikonal-based reaction model calculations combined with shell-model overlap functions. Results: Owing to the remarkable selectivity of the one-neutron and two-proton knockout reactions, a significantly updated level scheme for $^{32}$Mg, which exhibits negative-parity intruder and positive-parity normal states, was constructed. The experimental results were confronted with four different nuclear structure models. Conclusions: In some of these models, different aspects of $^{32}$Mg and the transition into the island of inversion are well described. However, unexplained discrepancies remain, and even with the help of these state-of-the-art theoretical approaches, the structure of this key nucleus is not yet fully captured.

Situated in the so-called "island of inversion," the nucleus $^{32}$Mg is considered as an archetypal example of the disappearance of magicity at $N=20$. We report on high statistics in-beam spectroscopy of $^{32}$Mg with a unique approach, in that two direct reaction probes with different sensitivities to the underlying nuclear structure are employed at the same time. More specifically, states in $^{32}$Mg were populated by knockout reactions starting from $^{33}$Mg and $^{34}$Si, lying inside and outside the island of inversion, respectively. The momentum distributions of the reaction residues and the cross sections leading to the individual final states were confronted with eikonal-based reaction calculations, yielding a significantly updated level scheme for $^{32}$Mg and spin-parity assignments. By fully exploiting observables obtained in this measurement, a variety of structures coexisting in 32Mg was unraveled. Comparisons with theoretical predictions based on shell-model overlaps allowed for clear discrimination between different structural models, revealing that the complete theoretical description of this key nucleus is yet to be achieved.

It is a well-known fact that a cluster of nucleons can be formed in the interior of an atomic nucleus, and such clusters may occupy molecular-like orbitals, showing characteristics similar to normal molecules consisting of atoms. Chemical molecules having a linear alignment are commonly seen in nature, such as carbon dioxide. A similar linear alignment of the nuclear clusters, referred to as linear-chain cluster state (LCCS), has been studied since the 1950s, however, up to now there is no clear experimental evidence demonstrating the existence of such a state. Recently, it was proposed that an excess of neutrons may offer just such a stabilizing mechanism, revitalizing interest in the nuclear LCCS, specifically with predictions for their emergence in neutron-rich carbon isotopes. Here we present the experimental observation of {\alpha}-cluster states in the radioactive 14C nucleus. Using the 10Be+{\alpha} resonant scattering method with a radioactive beam, we observed a series of levels which completely agree with theoretically predicted levels having an explicit linear-chain cluster configuration. We regard this as the first strong indication of the linear-chain clustered nucleus., Comment: 15 pages, 3 figures

The electromagnetic structure of $^{140}$Sm was studied in a low-energy Coulomb excitation experiment with a radioactive ion beam from the REX-ISOLDE facility at CERN. The $2^+$ and $4^+$ states of the ground-state band and a second $2^+$ state were populated by multi-step excitation. The analysis of the differential Coulomb excitation cross sections yielded reduced transition probabilities between all observed states and the spectroscopic quadrupole moment for the $2_1^+$ state. The experimental results are compared to large-scale shell model calculations and beyond-mean-field calculations based on the Gogny D1S interaction with a five-dimensional collective Hamiltonian formalism. Simpler geometric and algebraic models are also employed to interpret the experimental data. The results indicate that $^{140}$Sm shows considerable $\gamma$ softness, but in contrast to earlier speculation no signs of shape coexistence at low excitation energy. This work sheds more light on the onset of deformation and collectivity in this mass region., Comment: 15 pages, 12 figures

The electric quadrupole transition from the first 2+ state to the ground 0+ state in 18C was studied through lifetime measurement by an upgraded recoil shadow method applied to inelastically scattered radioactive 18C nuclei. The measured mean lifetime is 18.9 +/- 0.9 (stat) +/- 4.4 (syst) ps, corresponding to a B(E2;2+ -> 0+) value of 4.3 +/- 0.2 +/- 1.0 e2fm4, or about 1.5 Weisskopf units. The mean lifetime of the first 2+ state in 16C was remeasured to be 18.0 +/- 1.6 +/- 4.7 ps, about four times shorter than the value reported previously. The discrepancy between the two results was resolved by incorporating the gamma-ray angular distribution measured in this work into the previous measurement. These transition strengths are hindered compared to the empirical transition strengths, indicating that the anomalous hindrance observed in 16C persists in 18C., Comment: Submitted to Physical Review C; 26 pages with 13 figures

An exponential dependence of the fragmentation cross-section on the average binding energy is observed and reproduced with a statistical model. The observed functional dependence is robust and allows the extraction of binding energies from measured cross-sections. From the systematics of 75,77,78,79Cu isotope cross-sections have been extracted. They are 636.94 +/- 0.40 MeV, 647.1 +/- 0.4 MeV, 651.6 +/- 0.4 MeV and 657.8 +/- 0.5 MeV, respectively. Specifically, the uncertainty of the binding energy of 75Cu is reduced from 980 keV (listed value in the 2003 mass table of Audi and Wapstra) to 400 keV. The predicted cross-sections of two near drip-line nuclei, 39Na and 40Mg, from the fragmentation of 48Ca are discussed., Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures

We measured fragmentation cross sections produced using the primary beam of $^{86}$Kr at 64 MeV/nucleon on $^9$Be and $^{181}$Ta targets. The cross sections were obtained by integrating the momentum distributions of isotopes with 25

Breakup reactions of the one-neutron halo nucleus 11Be on Pb and C targets at about 70 MeV/u have been investigated by measuring the momentum vectors of the incident 11Be, outgoing 10Be, and neutron in coincidence. The relative energy spectra as well as the angular distributions of the 10Be+n center of mass have been extracted for both targets. For the breakup on Pb target, the selection of forward scattering angles is found to be effective to extract almost purely the first-order E1 Coulomb breakup component, and to exclude the nuclear contribution and higher-order Coulomb breakup components. This angle-selected energy spectrum is thus used to deduce the spectroscopic factor for the 10Be(0+) 2s_1/2 configuration in 11Be which is found to be 0.72+-0.04 with B(E1) up to Ex=4 MeV of 1.05+-0.06 e2fm2. The energy weighted E1 strength up to Ex=4 MeV explains 70+-10% of the cluster sum rule, consistent with the obtained spectroscopic factor. The non-energy weighted sum rule is used to extract the root mean square distance of the halo neutron to be 5.77(16) fm, consistent with previously known values. In the breakup with C target, we have observed the excitations to the known unbound states in 11Be at Ex=1.78 MeV and 3.41 MeV. Angular distributions for these states show the diffraction pattern characteristic of L=2 transitions, resulting in J^pi =(3/2,5/2)+ assignment for these states. We finally find that even for the C target the E1 Coulomb direct breakup mechanism becomes dominant at very forward angles., Comment: 14 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication on Physical Review C

The electric quadrupole transition from the first 2+ state to the ground 0+ state in 16C is studied through measurement of the lifetime by a recoil shadow method applied to inelastically scattered radioactive 16C nuclei. The measured lifetime is 75 +- 23 ps, corresponding to a B(E2;2_1+ -> 0^+) value of 0.63 +- 0.19 e2fm4, or 0.26 +- 0.08 Weisskopf units. The transition strength is found to be anomalously small compared to the empirically predicted value., Comment: 4pages, 4figures, submitted to Physical Review Letters