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A low-energy branch is under development for the MARA vacuum-mode recoil separator at the Accelerator Laboratory of the University of Jyvaskyla. This development will allow for the study of proton-rich nuclei through laser ionisation spectroscopy and mass measurements. After stopping and extraction from a buffer gas cell, the ions of interest will be accelerated and transported to dedicated experimental setups by an ion transport system consisting of several focusing, accelerating and mass-separating elements. This article presents the current design and simulations for the ion transport.

Decay spectroscopy of the odd-proton nuclei $^{249}$Md and $^{251}$Md has been performed. High-K isomeric states were identified for the first time in these two nuclei through the measurement of their electromagnetic decay. An isomeric state with a half-life of 2.8(5) ms and an excitation energy $\ge 910$ keV was found in $^{249}$Md. In $^{251}$Md, an isomeric state with a half-life of 1.4(3) s and an excitation energy $\ge 844$ keV was found. Similarly to the neighbouring $^{255}$Lr, these two isomeric states are interpreted as 3 quasi-particle high-K states and compared to new theoretical calculations. Excited nuclear configurations were calculated within two scenarios: via blocking nuclear states located in proximity to the Fermi surface or/and using the quasiparticle Bardeen–Cooper–Schrieffer method. Relevant states were selected on the basis of the microscopic-macroscopic model with a deformed Woods–Saxon potential. The most probable candidates for the configurations of K-isomeric states in Md nuclei are proposed. Decay spectroscopy of the odd-proton nuclei $^{249}$Md and $^{251}$Md has been performed. High-$K$ isomeric states were identified for the first time in these two nuclei through the measurement of their electromagnetic decay. An isomeric state with a half-life of $2.8(5)$ ms and an excitation energy $\geq 910$ keV was found in $^{249}$Md. In $^{251}$Md, an isomeric state with a half-life of $1.4(3)$ s and an excitation energy $\geq 844$ keV was found. Similarly to the neighbouring $^{255}$Lr, these two isomeric states are interpreted as 3 quasi-particle high-$K$ states and compared to new theoretical calculations. Excited nuclear configurations were calculated within two scenarios: via blocking nuclear states located in proximity to the Fermi surface or/and using the quasiparticle Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer method. Relevant states were selected on the basis of the microscopic-macroscopic model with a deformed Woods-Saxon potential. The most probable candidates for the configurations of $K$-isomeric states in Md nuclei are proposed.

Using a fusion-evaporation reaction and a gas-filled recoil separator, an isomeric state [T12=83(8)μs] with a most likely spin and parity of 132+ has been identified in Th211. The isomeric state is mainly depopulated via a hindered internal M2 transition [B(M2)=0.0025(5) W.u.], but also a weak α-decay branch of 4(3)% was observed. The present observations fit well to the systematic pattern set by the previously identified states of the same spin and parity in this region of the nuclear chart.

Fast-timing measurements at the focal plane of a separator can suffer from poor timing resolution. This is due to the variations in time-of-flight (ToF) for photons travelling to a given detector, which arise from the changes in the implantation positions of the recoil nuclei emitting the γ rays of interest. In order to minimise these effects on timing measurements, a procedure is presented that improves fast-timing data by performing ToF corrections on an event-by-event basis. This method was used to correct data collected with an array of eight LaBr 3 detectors, which detected γ rays from spatially distributed 138Gd recoil-implants at the focal plane of the Recoil-Ion-Transport-Unit (RITU) spectrometer. The Generalised Centroid Difference (GCD) method was used to extract a lifetime from data in conjunction with a new procedure to calibrate the time walk. The lifetime of the first 2 + state in 138Gd, populated by the decay of the K π = 8 − isomeric state, was measured to be 229(24) ps using the ToF-corrected data, which is consistent within three standard deviations to the literature value. The results together with Monte-Carlo simulations show that the ToF correction procedure reduced the uncertainty in the measured lifetimes by 3 % in the case of the spatially distributed nuclei at the focal plane of RITU. However, ∼ 12 % has been estimated for a similar experiment when using a larger focal plane i.e. the Super-FRS at the FAIR facility.

Online gas-solid adsorption studies with single atom quantities of Hg, Tl, and Pb on SiO$_{2}$ and Au surfaces were carried out using short-lived radioisotopes with half-lives in the range of 4-49 s. This is a model study to measure adsorption enthalpies of superheavy elements Cn, Nh, and Fl. The short-lived isotopes were produced and separated by the gas-filled recoil separator TASCA at GSI. The products were stopped in He gas, and flushed into gas chromatography columns made of Si detectors whose surfaces were covered by SiO$_{2}$ or Au. The short-lived Tl and Pb were successfully measured by the Si detectors with the SiO$_{2}$ surface at room temperature. On the other hand, the Hg did not adsorb on the SiO$_{2}$ surface, but adsorbed on the Au surface. The results demonstrated that the adsorption properties of short-lived Hg, Tl, and Pb could be studied with this setup, and that this method is applicable to the experiment for Cn, Nh, and Fl., 半減期4$\sim$49秒の短寿命同位体を用いて、水銀(Hg), タリウム(Tl), 鉛(Pb)の単一原子レベルでのSiO$_{2}$及びAu表面への固体吸着挙動をオンライン気相実験により調べた。超重元素Cn, Nh, Flの吸着エンタルピー測定のためのモデル実験として実施した。短寿命同位体はドイツ重イオン研究所の反跳核分離装置TASCAを用いて生成・分離した。生成核はヘリウムガス中に捕集された後、SiO$_{2}$あるいはAuで表面を覆われたSi検出器で作製されたガスクロマトグラフィーカラムへと導入した。短寿命Tl及びPb同位体は室温においてSiO$_{2}$表面に吸着し、Si検出器で測定することに成功した。一方、HgはSiO$_{2}$表面には吸着せず、Au表面に吸着した。この結果より、本実験のセットアップを用いることで短寿命Hg, Tl, Pb同位体の吸着特性を調べることができると証明され、この手法がCn, Nh, Flの実験にも適用できることが確認された。

Two new excited bands built on the πh11/2 configuration have been identified in Nd135 in addition to the known πh11/2 band. The energy spectra of the excited bands and the available electromagnetic transition probabilities are in good agreement with theoretical results obtained using quasiparticle-plus-triaxial-rotor model calculations. The properties of the bands identify them as tilted precession bands instead of wobbling bands. Our results give a new insight into the interpretation of the low-lying bands in odd-A mass nuclei, and can stimulate future studies to address the nuclear triaxiality.

The neutron-deficient gold (Z=79) isotopes in the vicinity of the neutron midshell N=104 provide prolific examples of shape coexistence and isomerism at low excitation energy. They can be probed via a number of different experimental techniques. In this study, two new isomeric states with half-lives of 294(7) and 373(9) ns have been observed in the neutron-deficient odd-odd nuclide Au178 (N=99) in an experiment at the RITU gas-filled separator at JYFL, Jyvaskyla. This result was achieved due to the use of a segmented planar germanium detector with a high efficiency at low energies. By applying the recoil-decay tagging technique, they were assigned to decay to two different long-lived α-decaying states in Au178.

A nuclear spectroscopy experiment was conducted to study α-decay chains stemming from isotopes of flerovium (element Z=114). An upgraded TASISpec decay station was placed behind the gas-filled separator TASCA at the GSI Helmholtzzentrum fur Schwerionenforschung in Darmstadt, Germany. The fusion-evaporation reactions ^{48}Ca+^{242}Pu and ^{48}Ca+^{244}Pu provided a total of 32 flerovium-candidate decay chains, of which two and eleven were firmly assigned to ^{286}Fl and ^{288}Fl, respectively. A prompt coincidence between a 9.60(1)-MeV α particle event and a 0.36(1)-MeV conversion electron marked the first observation of an excited state in an even-even isotope of the heaviest man-made elements, namely ^{282}Cn. Spectroscopy of ^{288}Fl decay chains fixed Q_{α}=10.06(1) MeV. In one case, a Q_{α}=9.46(1)-MeV decay from ^{284}Cn into ^{280}Ds was observed, with ^{280}Ds fissioning after only 518 μs. The impact of these findings, aggregated with existing data on decay chains of ^{286,288}Fl, on the size of an anticipated shell gap at proton number Z=114 is discussed in light of predictions from two beyond-mean-field calculations, which take into account triaxial deformation.

A search for production of the superheavy elements with atomic numbers 119 and 120 was performed in the 50Ti+249Bk and 50Ti+249Cf fusion-evaporation reactions, respectively, at the gas-filled recoil separator TASCA at GSI Darmstadt, Germany. Over four months of irradiation, the 249Bk target partially decayed into 249Cf, which allowed for a simultaneous search for both elements. Neither was detected at cross-section sensitivity levels of 65 and 200 fb for the 50Ti+249Bk and 50Ti+249Cf reactions, respectively, at a midtarget beam energy of Elab=281.5 MeV. The nonobservation of elements 119 and 120 is discussed within the concept of fusion-evaporation reactions including various theoretical predictions on the fission-barrier heights of superheavy nuclei in the region of the island of stability. peerReviewed

Fine structure in the α decay of Th90221, populating excited states in Ra88217, was studied using αγ-coincidence spectroscopy. Two α-decay branches from Th221 have been newly observed, with Eα(keV)[bα(%)]=7951(8)[0.14(3)] and 8247(3)[1.51(12)], together with three previously known branches. Also, two new states in Ra217 were identified at E = 177 and 227 keV. The ground-state configurations of the odd-A, N = 131 transitional isotones above Pb208 are interpreted from their α-decay fine structure systematics and considered in terms of predictions using spherical shell and reflection-asymmetric models.

Experimental signatures of moderately enhanced octupole correlations at high spin in 136 Nd are indicated for the first time. The extracted dipole moments of two negative-parity bands are only two times smaller than those of the lanthanide nuclei with N ≈ 90 which present well-established octupole correlations. Calculations using the cranked quasiparticle random phase approximation and a model of quadrupole-octupole rotations with octupole vibrations reveal the structure of the bands and the enhanced octupole correlations at high spin in 136 Nd .

The odd-Z Md251 nucleus was studied using combined γ-ray and conversion-electron in-beam spectroscopy. Besides the previously observed rotational band based on the [521]1/2− configuration, another rotational structure has been identified using γ-γ coincidences. The use of electron spectroscopy allowed the rotational bands to be observed over a larger rotational frequency range. Using the transition intensities that depend on the gyromagnetic factor, a [514]7/2− single-particle configuration has been inferred for this band, i.e., the ground-state band. A physical background that dominates the electron spectrum with an intensity of ≃60% was well reproduced by simulating a set of unresolved excited bands. Moreover, a detailed analysis of the intensity profile as a function of the angular momentum provided a method for deriving the orbital gyromagnetic factor, namely gK=0.69−0.16+0.19 for the ground-state band. The odd-Z Md249 was studied using γ-ray in-beam spectroscopy. Evidence for octupole correlations resulting from the mixing of the Δl=Δj=3 [521]3/2− and [633]7/2+ Nilsson orbitals were found in both Md249,251. A surprising similarity of the Md251 ground-state band transition energies with those of the excited band of Lr255 has been discussed in terms of identical bands. Skyrme-Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov calculations were performed to investigate the origin of the similarities between these bands.

The jurogam 3 spectrometer has been constructed for in-beam $$\gamma $$γ-ray spectroscopy experiments in the Accelerator Laboratory of the University of Jyväskylä, Finland. jurogam 3 consists of germanium-detector modules in a compact geometry surrounding a target to measure $$\gamma $$γ rays emitted from radioactive nuclei. jurogam 3 can be employed in conjunction with one of two recoil separators, the mara vacuum-mode separator or the ritu gas-filled separator, and other ancillary devices.

High-spin states in the N = 128 nucleus 218Th have been investigated following fusion–evaporation reactions, using the recoil-decay tagging technique. Due to the short-lived nature of the ground state of 218Th prompt γ rays have been correlated with the α decay of the daughter nucleus 214Ra. The level scheme representing the decay of excited states has been extended to (16+) with the observation of six previously unreported transitions. The observations are compared with the results of shell model calculations and within the context of the systematics of neighbouring nuclei.

Two new bands have been identified in $^{137}$Nd from a high-statistics JUROGAM II gamma-ray spectroscopy experiment. Constrained density functional theory and particle rotor model calculations are used to assign configurations and investigate the band properties, which are well described and understood. It is demonstrated that these two new bands can be interpreted as chiral partners of previously known three-quasiparticle positive- and negative-parity bands. The newly observed chiral doublet bands in $^{137}$Nd represent an important support to the existence of multiple chiral bands in nuclei. The present results constitute the missing stone in the series of Nd nuclei showing multiple chiral bands, which becomes the most extended sequence of odd–even and even-even nuclei presenting multiple chiral bands in the Segré chart. Two new bands have been identified in $^{137}$Nd from a high-statistics JUROGAM II gamma-ray spectroscopy experiment. Constrained density functional theory and particle rotor model calculations are used to assign configurations and investigate the band properties, which are well described and understood. It is demonstrated that these two new bands can be interpreted as chiral partners of previously known three-quasiparticle positive- and negative-parity bands. The newly observed chiral doublet bands in $^{137}$Nd represent an important support to the existence of multiple chiral bands in nuclei. The present results constitute the missing stone in the series of Nd nuclei showing multiple chiral bands, which becomes the most extended sequence of nuclei presenting multiple chiral bands in the Segr\'e chart.

An upgraded TASISpec setup, with the addition of a veto DSSD and the new Compex detector-germanium array, has been employed with the gas-filled recoil separator TASCA at the GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung Darmstadt, to study flerovium (element 114) decay chains. The detector upgrades along with development of new analytical techniques have improved the sensitivity of the TASISpec setup for measuring α-photon coincidences. These improvements have been assessed with test reactions. The reaction 48Ca+206,207Pb was used for verification of experimental parameters such as transmission to implantation DSSD and target-segment to α-decay correlations. The reaction 48Ca+ nat Hf was used to produce several short-lived nuclei with multiple-α decay chains to investigate pile-up event deconvolution.

The extremely neutron-deficient isotopes 177,179Au were studied by means of in-beam ?-ray spectroscopy. Specific tagging techniques, ?-decay tagging in 177Au and isomer tagging in 179Au, were used for these studies. Feeding of positive-parity, nearly spherical states, which are associated with 2d3/2 and 3s1/2 proton-hole configurations, from the 1i13/2 proton-intruder configuration was observed in 177Au. Such a decay path has no precedent in odd-Au isotopes and it is explained by the effect of mixing of wave functions of the initial state. © 2020, 262010 2/0129/17 Science and Technology Facilities Council, STFC European Research Council, ERC: 203481 Academy of Finland: 131665 Agentúra na Podporu V?skumu a V?voja, APVV: APVV-15-0225, The authors express their gratitude to the staff of the Accelerator Laboratory at the University of Jyväskylä for their excellent technical support. This work has been supported by the EU-FP7-IA project ENSAR (No. 262010 ), the Academy of Finland (CoE in Nuclear and Accelerator Based Physics, grant to T.G., Contract No. 131665 ), the European Research Council through the project SHESTRUCT (Grant Agreement No. 203481 ), the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council , the Slovak Research and Development Agency under Contract No. APVV-15-0225 , and the Slovak Grant Agency VEGA (Contract No. 2/0129/17 ).

Excited states in the extremely neutron-deficient nucleus $$^{172}{\mathrm {Pt}}$$172Pt were populated via $$^{96}\mathrm {Ru}(^{78}\mathrm {Kr},2p)$$96Ru(78Kr,2p) and $$^{92}\mathrm {Mo}(^{83}\mathrm {Kr},3n)$$92Mo(83Kr,3n) reactions. The level scheme has been extended up to an excitation energy of $$\approx 5~\hbox {MeV}$$≈5MeV and tentative spin-parity assignments up to $$I^\pi = 18^+$$Iπ=18+. Linear polarization and angular distribution measurements were used to determine the electromagnetic E1 character of the dipole transitions connecting the positive-parity ground-state band with an excited side-band, firmly establishing it as a negative-parity band. The lowest member of this negative-parity structure was firmly assigned spin-parity $$3^-$$3-. In addition, we observed an E3 transition from this $$3^-$$3- state to the ground state, providing direct evidence for octupole collectivity in $$^{172}{\mathrm {Pt}}$$172Pt. Large-scale shell model (LSSM) and total Routhian surface (TRS) calculations have been performed, supporting the interpretation of the $$3^-$$3- state as a collective octupole-vibrational state.

© 2019 American Physical Society. An analysis technique has been developed in order to mitigate energy summing due to sequential short-lived α decays from nuclei implanted into a silicon detector. Using this technique, α-decay spectroscopy of the N=130 isotones Ra218 (Z=88) and Th220 (Z=90) has been performed. The energies of the α particles emitted in the Ra218→Rn214 and Th220→Ra216 ground-state-to-ground-state decays have been measured to be 8381(4) keV and 8818(13) keV, respectively. The half-lives of the ground states of Ra218 and Th220 have been measured to be 25.99(10) μs and 10.4(4) μs, respectively. The half-lives of the ground states of the α-decay daughters, Rn214 and Ra216, have been measured to be 259(3) ns and 161(11) ns, respectively. Fine structure in the α decay of Ra218 has been observed for the first time, populating the 695-keV 21+ state in Rn214. The fine-structure α decay has an α-particle energy of 7715(40) keV and branching ratio bα=0.123(11)%.

The heaviest currently known nuclei, which have up to 118 protons, have been produced in 48Ca induced reactions with actinide targets. Among them, the element tennessine (Ts), which has 117 protons, has been synthesized by fusing 48Ca with the radioactive target 249Bk, which has a half-life of 327 d. The experiment was performed at the gas-filled recoil separator TASCA. Two long and two short α decay chains were observed. The long chains were attributed to the decay of 294Ts. The possible origin of the short-decay chains is discussed in comparison with the known experimental data. They are found to fit with the decay chain patterns attributed to 293Ts. The present experimental results confirm the previous findings at the Dubna Gas-Filled Recoil Separator on the decay chains originating from the nuclei assigned to Ts.

A Triple-foil differential Plunger for Exotic Nuclei (TPEN) has been developed to measure the lifetimes of excited states in nuclei with small production cross-sections. TPEN utilises one target foil and two degrader foils to make differential lifetime measurements: directly determining the decay function and its derivative at a single plunger distance setting. The direct measurement of the decay function and its derivative removes the requirement to measure γ -ray intensities at several target-to-degrader distances, thereby reducing the beam-time required relative to a conventional plunger with a single-degrader foil. This paper describes the commissioning of TPEN in the lifetime measurement of the first excited 4 + state in 156Dy using this differential lifetime technique. The 46(2) ps measured lifetime was found to be in good agreement with the 45.6(5) ps deduced from a previous high-statistics experiment using a conventional two-foil plunger. A comparison between the differential mode with TPEN, and that using TPEN as a conventional two-foil plunger reveals that it achieves the same statistical accuracy with a ∼ 4 -fold reduction in beam-time in the differential mode, for the reaction and experimental setup used in this work. TPEN opens up new opportunities to study exotic nuclei with lower production cross-sections that were previously not accessible.

In the study of the odd-$Z$, even-$N$ nuclei $^{243}$Es and $^{249}$Md, performed at the University of Jyv\"askyl\"a, the fusion-evaporation reactions $^{197}$Au($^{48}$Ca,2$n$)$^{243}$Es and $^{203}$Tl($^{48}$Ca,2$n$)$^{249}$Md have been used for the first time. Fusion-evaporation residues were selected and detected using the RITU gas-filled separator coupled with the focal-plane spectrometer GREAT. For $^{243}$Es, the recoil decay correlation analysis yielded a half-life of $24 \pm 3$s, and a maximum production cross section of $37 \pm 10$ nb. In the same way, a half-life of $26 \pm 1$ s, an $\alpha$ branching ratio of 75 $\pm$ 5%, and a maximum production cross section of 300 $\pm$ 80 nb were determined for $^{249}$Md. The decay properties of $^{245}$Es, the daughter of $^{249}$Md, were also measured: an $\alpha$ branching ratio of 54 $\pm$ 7% and a half-life of 65 $\pm$ 6 s. Experimental cross sections were compared to the results of calculations performed using the KEWPIE2 statistical fusion-evaporation code.

International audience; Three new highly-deformed (HD) bands are identified in Nd136 and the highly deformed band of Nd137 is extended at higher spin by four transitions, revealing a band crossing associated with the occupation of the second νi13/2 intruder orbital. Extended cranked Nilsson-Strutinsky calculations are performed for all HD bands observed in Nd134, Nd136, and Nd137, achieving for the first time a consistent interpretation of all HD bands in the Nd nuclei. The new interpretation has significant consequences, like the change of parity of the yrast HD bands of Nd134 and Nd136, and the involvement of two negative-parity neutron intruder orbitals in the configurations of most HD bands. The present experimental results and their theoretical interpretation represent an important step forward in the understanding of the second-minimum excitations in the Nd nuclei.

International audience; A sequence of nine almost equidistant quadrupole transitions is observed in Nd137. The sequence represents an extremely regular rotational band that extends to a spin of about 75/2 and an excitation energy of ≈4.5MeV above yrast. Cranked mean-field calculations of the Nilsson-Strutinsky type suggest an oblate shape for the band. They reproduce the observed I(I+1) dependence of the rotational energy whereas predicting a pronounced decrease in the deformation, which is the hallmark of antimagnetic rotation.

International audience; Multipolarity measurements are presented for transitions in the deformed odd-mass nucleus$^{167}$ Yb in support of tentative spin assignments and level interpretations based upon the cranked-Nilsson model. Internal-conversion coefficients were measured with the SAGE (Silicon And GErmanium) spectrometer confirming several E2 transition assignments. The array of high-purity germanium detectors enabled the recording of high-multiplicity events from which $\gamma\gamma\gamma$ and $\gamma\gamma e^{-}$ data sets were extracted and the technique of high-fold $\gamma$ -ray gating was demonstrated to cleanly isolate transitions of interest.

Products of the fusion-evaporation reaction 48Ca + 243Am were studied with the TASISpec set-up at the gas-filled separator TASCA at the GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt, Germany. Amongst the detected thirty correlated α-decay chains associated with the production of element Z=115, two recoil-α-fission and five recoil-α-α-fission events were observed. The latter five chains are similar to four such events reported from experiments performed at the Dubna gas-filled separator, and three such events reported from an experiment at the Berkeley gas-filled separator. The four chains observed at the Dubna gas-filled separator were assigned to start from the 2n-evaporation channel 289115 due to the fact that these recoil-α-α-fission events were observed only at low excitation energies. Contrary to this interpretation, we suggest that some of these recoil-α-α-fission decay chains, as well as some of the recoil-α-α-fission and recoil-α-fission decay chains reported from Berkeley and in this article, start from the 3n-evaporation channel 288115.

A non-reference based method to determine internal conversion coefficients using the SAGE spectrometer is carried out for transitions in the nuclei of 154 Sm, 152 Sm and 166 Yb. The Normalised-Peak-to-Gamma method is in general an efficient tool to extract internal conversion coefficients. However, in many cases the required well-known reference transitions are not available. The data analysis steps required to determine absolute internal conversion coefficients with the SAGE spectrometer are presented. In addition, several background suppression methods are introduced and an example of how ancillary detectors can be used to select specific reaction products is given. The results obtained for ground-state band E2 transitions show that the absolute internal conversion coefficients can be extracted using the methods described with a reasonable accuracy. In some cases of less intense transitions only an upper limit for the internal conversion coefficient could be given.

The IGISOL-4 facility in the JYFL Accelerator Laboratory of the University of Jyvaskyla (JYFL-ACCLAB) produces low-energy radioactive ion beams, primarily for nuclear spectroscopy, utilizing an ion guide-based, ISOL-type mass separator. Recently, new ion manipulation techniques have been introduced at the IGISOL-4 including the application of the PI-ICR (Phase-Imaging Ion Cyclotron Resonance) technique at the JYFLTRAP Penning trap, as well as commissioning of a Multi-Reflection Time-Of-Flight (MR-TOF) separator/spectrometer. The successful operation of the MR-TOF also required significant improvement of the Radio-Frequency Quadrupole (RFQ) cooler and buncher device beam pulse time structure. In addition, laser ionization techniques have been developed for particular cases, for example, a hot cavity laser ion source for silver production. A new stable isotope ion source and a beam line has been introduced for tuning and calibration purposes. In addition to the installations at the IGISOL-4 facility, the extension of the vacuum-mode recoil separator MARA (Mass Analysing Recoil Apparatus), MARA-LEB (MARA Low Energy Branch) has been under development. MARA-LEB will utilize the gas-cell technique and laser ionization to convert MeV-scale radioactive beams to low-energy ones.

Short-lived α-decaying nuclei "northeast" of 208Pb in the chart of nuclides were studied using the reaction 48Ca+243Am with the decay station TASISpec at TASCA, GSI Darmstadt. Decay energies and times from pile-up events were extracted with a tailor-made pulse-shape analysis routine and specific α-decay chains were identified in a correlation analysis. Decay chains starting with the even-even 220Ra and its odd-A neighbors, 219Fr, and 219,221Ra, with a focus on the 219Ra→215Rn decay, were studied by means of α-γ spectroscopy. A revised α-decay scheme of 219Ra is proposed, including a new decay branch from a previously not considered isomeric state at 17 keV excitation energy. Conclusions on nuclear structure are drawn from the experimental data, aided by Geant4 simulations and a discussion on theoretical calculations. (Less)

The level structure of Nd136 has been investigated using the Mo100(Ar40,4n) reaction and the JUROGAM II+RITU+GREAT setup. The level scheme has been extended significantly. Many new bands have been identified both at low and high spin, among which are five nearly degenerate bands interpreted as chiral partners. Excitation energies, spins, and parities of the previously known bands are revised and firmly established, and some previously known bands have been revised. Configurations are assigned to the observed bands based on cranked Nilsson-Strutinsky calculations. The band structure of Nd136 is now clarified and the various types of single-particle and collective excitations are well understood.

Fine structure in the a decay of high-spin isomers in Lu-155( 25/2(-)) and Hf-156(8(+))has been studied for the first time using alpha gamma- coincidence analysis. Three new a decays from Lu-155(25 ...

A multiparticle spin-trap isomeric state having a half-life of 179(4) ns and lying 2601 keV above the yrast 10(+) state in Lu-156 has been discovered. The Lu-156 nuclei were produced by bombarding ...

Lifetimes of the first excited 2(+) and 4(+) states in the extremely neutron -deficient nuclide Pt-172 have been measured for the first time using the recoil-distance Doppler shift and recoil-decay tagging techniques. An unusually low value of the ratio B(E2: 4(1)(+) -> 2(1)(+)/B(E2: 2(1)(+) -> 0(gs)(+)) = 0.55(19) was found, similar to a handful of other such anomalous cases observed in the entire Segre chart. The observation adds to a cluster of a few extremely neutron -deficient nuclides of the heavy transition metals with neutron numbers N approximate to 90-94 featuring the effect. No theoretical model calculations reported to date have been able to explain the anomalously low B(E2: 4(1)(+) -> 2(1)(+)/B(E2: 2(1)(+) -> 0(gs)(+)) ratios observed in these cases. Such low values cannot, e.g., be explained within the framework of the geometrical collective model or by algebraic approaches within the interacting boson model framework. It is proposed that the group of B(E2: 4(1)(+) -> 2(1)(+)/B(E2: 2(1)(+) -> 0(gs)(+)) ratios in the extremely neutron-deficient even-even W, Os, and Pt nuclei around neutron numbers N approximate to 90-94 reveal a quantum phase transition from a seniority-conserving structure to a collective regime as a function of neutron number. Although a system governed by seniority symmetry is the only theoretical framework for which such an effect may naturally occur, the phenomenon is highly unexpected for these nuclei that are not situated near closed shells.

The ground-state rotational band of the neutron-deficient californium (Z = 98) isotope 244Cf was identified for the first time and measured up to a tentative spin and parity of I I-pi = 20(+). The observation of the rotational band indicates that the nucleus is deformed. The kinematic and dynamic moments of inertia were deduced from the measured gamma-ray transition energies. The behavior of the dynamic moment of inertia revealed an up-bend due to a possible alignment of coupled nucleons in high-j orbitals starting at a rotational frequency of about (h) over bar (omega) = 0.20 MeV. The results were compared with the systematic behavior of the even-even N = 146 isotones as well as with available theoretical calculations that have been performed for nuclei in the region.

Using fusion-evaporation reactions, a gas-filled recoil separator, recoil-gating technique and recoil-isomer decay tagging technique we have extended the level scheme of At-203 (N = 118) significan ...

The MARA Low-Energy Branch is under development at the Accelerator Laboratory of the University of Jyvaskylä. The facility will be employed for laser ionisation and spectroscopy studies and for mass measurements of nuclei close to the proton drip line. This article presents an updated status of the ongoing development of the different parts of this facility, including the buffer gas cell, the ion transport system, the laser system and the detector stations. peerReviewed

Evidence for chiral doublet bands has been observed for the first time in the even-even nucleus 136 Nd . One chiral band was firmly established. Four other candidates for chiral bands were also identified, which can contribute to the realization of the multiple pairs of chiral doublet bands ( M χ D ) phenomenon. The observed bands are investigated by the constrained and tilted axis cranking covariant density functional theory (TAC-CDFT). Possible configurations have been explored. The experimental energy spectra, angular momenta, and B ( M 1 ) / B ( E 2 ) values for the assigned configurations are globally reproduced by TAC-CDFT. Calculated results support the chiral interpretation of the observed bands, which correspond to shapes with maximum triaxiality induced by different multiquasiparticle configurations in 136 Nd . peerReviewed

© 2018 authors. Published by the American Physical Society. Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the »https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/» Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI. The method of laser spectroscopy in supersonic gas jets was proposed for high-resolution and high-efficiency in-gas laser ionization and spectroscopy studies of short-lived nuclei. The flow properties of such supersonic gas jets have been characterized under off-line conditions. Planar laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy of seeded copper atoms has been applied to nonintrusively measure velocity, temperature, and relative density profiles of gas jets formed by different de Laval nozzles. For validation, planar laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy was applied on supersonic free jets with well-known flow parameters. The performance of the in-gas-jet laser spectroscopy method is determined by the achievable spectral resolution, which requires an optimization and a precise manufacturing of the nozzle inner contour as well as a pressure matching of the background medium at the nozzle exit. Our studies now enable a thorough understanding and quantification of these requirements and a determination of the final performance of the in-gas-jet method. Additionally, a comparison between the experimental results and the numerical calculations was performed for the temperature, velocity, and Mach number profiles of underexpanded and quasiuniform jets formed by a de Laval nozzle. ispartof: Physical Review X vol:8 issue:4 pages:041008-041008 status: published

The very neutron-deficient isobars Pb-179 and Tl-179 have been produced using the fusion-evaporation reactions Pd-104(Kr-78,xpyn), where x = 2. The gas-filled separator RITU was employed to transpo ...

A newly observed isomeric intruder ${\textonehalf{}}^{+}$ state $[{T}_{\textonehalf{}}=3.5(6)\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\mathrm{ms}]$ is identified in $^{203}\mathrm{At}$ using a gas-filled recoil separator and fusion-evaporation reactions. The isomer is depopulated through a cascade of $E3$ and mixed $M1/E2$ transitions to the ${9/2}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ ground state, and it is suggested to originate from the $\ensuremath{\pi}{({s}_{\textonehalf{}})}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ configuration. In addition, the structures above the ${\textonehalf{}}^{+}$ state in $^{203}\mathrm{At}$ and $^{197}\mathrm{At}$ are studied using in-beam $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray spectroscopy, recoil-decay tagging, and recoil-isomer decay tagging methods. The ${\textonehalf{}}^{+}$ state is fed from ${3/2}^{+}$ and ${5/2}^{+}$ states, and the origin of these states are discussed.

The SPectrometer for Electron DEtection (SPEDE) has been constructed for in-beam nuclear structure studies using radioactive ion beams. SPEDE employs a silicon detector for detecting conversion electrons. It is designed to be used in conjunction with the MINIBALL spectrometer at HIE-ISOLDE, CERN.

The heavy actinide nucleus 253No (Z = 102) was studied using the (S)ilicon (A)nd (Ge)rmanium (SAGE) spectrometer allowing simultaneous in-beam $\gamma$ -ray and conversion electron spectroscopy at the accelerator laboratory of the University of Jyvaskyla. Using the recoil-tagging technique, $\gamma$ -electron coincidences have allowed for the extension of the level scheme in the lower-spin region of the yrast band. In addition, internal conversion coefficient (ICC) measurements to establish the multipolarity of transitions have been performed. Measurement of the interband-intraband branching ratios supports the assignment of the Nilsson band-head configuration $9/2^{-}[734]$ assigned in previous studies. The study shows the viability of combined in-beam electron and $\gamma$ -ray spectroscopy down to μb cross sections.