1. Backbending in the pear-shaped Th90223 nucleus: Evidence of a high-spin octupole to quadrupole shape transition in the actinides
- Author
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M. G. Porquet, Sanna Stolze, Panu Rahkila, Jan Sarén, A. Astier, Paul Greenlees, M. Rousseau, D. Guinet, L. Augey, Panu Ruotsalainen, G. Duchêne, Mikael Sandzelius, A. Lopez-Martens, Paivi Nieminen, D. Curien, Rauno Julin, C. Ducoin, Ulrika Jakobsson, Andrej Herzan, O. Dorvaux, Tuomas Grahn, K. Hauschild, Pauli Peura, Peter B. Jones, F. Azaiez, O. Stezowski, Juha Uusitalo, S. Courtin, G. Maquart, Sami Rinta-Antila, J. Dudouet, Matti Leino, L. Chaix, B. J. P. Gall, A. Vancraeyenest, G. Lehaut, Steffen Ketelhut, N. Redon, Catherine Scholey, I. Deloncle, Juha Sorri, P. Petkov, I. Companis, C. Mancuso, and Sakari Juutinen
- Subjects
Physics ,Spins ,010308 nuclear & particles physics ,Yrast ,Nuclear Theory ,Actinide ,01 natural sciences ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,0103 physical sciences ,Quadrupole ,medicine ,Level structure ,Atomic physics ,Nuclear Experiment ,010306 general physics ,Nucleus ,Isotopes of thorium ,Spin-½ - Abstract
Relatively neutron-rich thorium isotopes lie at the heart of a nuclear region of nuclei exhibiting octupole correlation effects. The detailed level structure of Th223 has been investigated in measurements of γ radiation following the fusion-evaporation channel of the Pb208(O18,3n)Th223 reaction at 85 MeV beam energy. The level structure has been extended up to spin 49/2, and 33 new γ rays have been added using triple-γ coincidence data. The spins and parities of the newly observed states have been confirmed by angular distribution ratios. In addition to the two known yrast bands based on a K=5/2 configuration, a non-yrast band has been established up to spin 35/2. We interpret this new structure as based on the same configuration as the yrast band in Th221 having dominant K=1/2 contribution. At the highest spin a backbending occurs around a rotational frequency of ℏω=0.23 MeV, very close to the one predicted in Th222, where a sharp transition to a reflection-symmetric shape is expected.
- Published
- 2017