Search

Using the B$\rho$-defined isochronous mass spectrometry technique, we report the first determination of the $^{23}$Si, $^{26}$P, $^{27}$S, and $^{31}$Ar masses and improve the precision of the $^{28}$S mass by a factor of 11. Our measurements confirm that these isotopes are bound and fix the location of the proton dripline in P, S, and Ar. We find that the mirror energy differences of the mirror-nuclei pairs $^{26}$P-$^{26}$Na, $^{27}$P-$^{27}$Mg, $^{27}$S-$^{27}$Na, $^{28}$S-$^{28}$Mg, and $^{31}$Ar-$^{31}$Al deviate significantly from the values predicted assuming mirror symmetry. In addition, we observe similar anomalies in the excited states, but not in the ground states, of the mirror-nuclei pairs $^{22}$Al-$^{22}$F and $^{23}$Al-$^{23}$Ne. Using $ab~ initio$ VS-IMSRG and mean field calculations, we show that such a mirror-symmetry breaking phenomeon can be explained by the extended charge distributions of weakly-bound, proton-rich nuclei. When observed, this phenomenon serves as a unique signature that can be valuable for identifying proton-halo candidates.

Charge-changing cross-sections of $^{11-16}$C, $^{13-17}$N and $^{15-18}$O on a carbon target have been determined at energies around 300 MeV/nucleon. A nucleon separation energy-dependent correction factor has been introduced to the Glauber model calculation for extracting the nuclear charge radii from the experimental CCCSs. The charge radii of $^{11}$C, $^{13,16}$N and $^{15}$O thus were determined for the first time. With the new radii, we studied the experimental mirror-difference charge radii ($\Delta R_{\text {ch}}^{\text {mirror}}$) of $^{11}$B-$^{11}$C, $^{13}$C-$^{13}$N, $^{15}$N-$^{15}$O, $^{17}$N-$^{17}$Ne pairs for the first time. We find that the $\Delta R_{\text {ch}}^{\text {mirror}}$ values of $^{13}$C-$^{13}$N and $^{15}$N-$^{15}$O pairs follow well the empirical relation to the isospin asymmetry predicted by the $ab$ $initio$ calculations, while $\Delta R_{\text {ch}}^{\text {mirror}}$ of $^{11}$B-$^{11}$C and $^{17}$N-$^{17}$Ne pairs deviate from such relation by more than two standard deviations., Comment: 3 figures, submitted to Physics Letters B

We report the charge-changing cross sections ($\sigma_{\text{cc}}$) of 24 $p$-shell nuclides on both hydrogen and carbon at about 900$A$ MeV, of which $^{8,9}$Li, $^{10\textendash12}$Be, $^{10,14,15}$B, $^{14,15,17\textendash22}$N and $^{16}$O on hydrogen and $^{8,9}$Li on carbon are for the first time. Benefiting from the data set,we found a new and robust relationship between the scaling factor of the Glauber model calculations and the separation energies of the nuclei of interest on both targets.This allows us to deduce proton radii ($R_p$) for the first time from the cross sections on hydrogen. Nearly identical $R_p$ values are deduced from both target data for the neutron-rich carbon isotopes, however, the $R_p$ from the hydrogen target is systematically smaller in the neutron-rich nitrogen isotopes.This calls for further experimental and theoretical investigations., Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures

We present the charge-changing cross sections (CCCS) of $^{11-15}$C, $^{13-17}$N, and $^{15,17-18}$O at around 300 MeV/nucleon on a carbon target, which extends to $p$-shell isotopes with $N < Z$ for the first time. The Glauber model, which considers only the proton distribution of projectile nuclei, underestimates the cross sections by more than 10\%. We show that this discrepancy can be resolved by considering the contribution from the charged-particle evaporation process (CPEP) following projectile neutron removal. Using nucleon densities from the deformed relativistic Hartree-Bogoliubov theory in continuum, we investigate the isospin-dependent CPEP contribution to the CCCS for a wide range of neutron-to-proton separation energy asymmetry. Our calculations, which include the CPEP contribution, agree well with existing systematic data and reveal an ``evaporation peak" at the isospin symmetric region where the neutron-to-proton separation energy is close to zero. These results suggest that analysis beyond the Glauber model is crucial for accurately determining nuclear charge radii from CCCSs., Comment: 5 figures

The root mean square radii of the proton density distribution in $^{16-24}$O derived from measurements of charge changing cross sections with a carbon target at $\sim$900$A$ MeV together with the matter radii portray thick neutron skin for $^{22 - 24}$O despite $^{22,24}$O being doubly magic. Imprints of the shell closures at $N$ = 14 and 16 are reflected in local minima of their proton radii that provide evidence for the tensor interaction causing them. The radii agree with it ab initio calculations employing the chiral NNLO$_{\mathrm{sat}}$ interaction, though skin thickness predictions are challenged. Shell model predictions agree well with the data., Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in Physical Review Letters

Charge-changing cross sections $\sigma_\mathrm{CC}$ for $^{42\textrm{--}51}$Ca on a carbon target at around 280~MeV/nucleon have been measured. The measured $\sigma_\mathrm{CC}$ values differ significantly from the previously developed calculations based on the Glauber model. However, through introduction of the charged-particle evaporation effect induced by the neutron-removal reaction in addition to the Glauber-model calculation, experimental $\sigma_\mathrm{CC}$ values on $^{12}$C at around 300~MeV/nucleon for nuclides from C to Fe isotopes are all reproduced with approximately 1\% accuracy. This proposed model systematically reproduces $\sigma_\mathrm{CC}$ data without phenomenological corrections, and can also explain experimental $\sigma_\mathrm{CC}$ values obtained in other energy regions., Comment: 13 pages, 11 figures

We have constructed and tested a novel plastic-scintillator-based solid-state active proton target for use in nuclear spectroscopic studies with nuclear reactions induced by an ion beam in inverse kinematics. The active target system, named Stack Structure Solid organic Scintillator Active Target (S4AT), consists of five layers of plastic scintillators, each with a 1-mm thickness. To determine the reaction point in the thickness direction, we exploit the difference in the energy losses due to the beam particle and the charged reaction product(s) in the scintillator material. S4AT offers the prospect of a relatively thick target while maintaining a good energy resolution. By considering the relative energy loss between different layers, the energy loss due to unreacted beam particles can be eliminated. Such procedure, made possible by the multi-layer structure, is essential to eliminate the effect of unreacted accompanying beam particles, thus enabling its operation at a moderate beam intensity of up to a few Mcps. We evaluated the performance of S4AT by measuring the elastic proton-proton scattering using a 70-MeV proton beam at Cyclotron and Radioisotope Center (CYRIC), Tohoku University., Comment: 32 pages, 14 figures

Interaction cross sections for $^{42\textrm{-}51}$Ca on a carbon target at 280 MeV/nucleon have been measured for the first time. The neutron number dependence of derived root-mean-square matter radii shows a significant increase beyond the neutron magic number $N=28$. Furthermore, this enhancement of matter radii is much larger than that of the previously measured charge radii, indicating a novel growth in neutron skin thickness. A simple examination based on the Fermi-type distribution, and the Mean-Field calculations point out that this anomalous enhancement of the nuclear size beyond $N=28$ results from an enlargement of the core by a sudden increase in the surface diffuseness of the neutron density distribution, which implies the swelling of the bare $^{48}$Ca core in Ca isotopes beyond $N=28$., Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures

Elastic and inelastic alpha scatterings on $^{10}$C were measured using a 68-MeV/u radioactive $^{10}$C beam incident on the recently developed MAIKo active target system. The phenomenological effective $\alpha$-$N$ interaction and the point-nucleon density distribution in the ground state were determined from the elastic scattering data. The cross sections of the inelastic alpha scattering were calculated using this interaction and density distribution and were compared with the experiment to determine the neutron quadrupole transition matrix element $M_{n}$ between the ground state and the $2_{1}^{+}$ state at $E_{x} = 3.35$ MeV in $^{10}$C. The deduced neutron transition matrix element is $M_{n} = 6.9\, \pm0.7\, \mathrm{(fit)}\, \pm1.2\, \mathrm{(sys)}$ fm$^{2}$. The ratio of the neutron transition strength to proton transition strength was determined as $M_{n}/M_{p} = 1.05\, \pm0.11\, \mathrm{(fit)}\, \pm0.17\, \mathrm{(sys)}$, which indicates that the quadrupole transition between the ground state and the $2_{1}^{+}$ state in $^{10}$C is less neutron dominant compared to that in $^{16}$C., Comment: 13 pages, 10 figures, 2 tables. The title and conclusion have changed from the previous version

A new paradigm for nuclear structure that includes blocking effects of tensor interactions is proposed. All of the recently discovered magic numbers (N=6, 14, 16, 32 and 34) in neutron-rich nuclei can be explained by the blocking effects. A large amount of binding energy is gained by high-momentum correlated pairs of nucleons produced by the tensor interaction. Such tensor correlations strongly depend on the configuration space available for exciting nucleons to 2p-2h states. When additional neutrons occupy a new orbital, the previously available configuration may be lost, resulting in a sudden loss of binding energy otherwise gained by the 2p-2h excitations. Such tensor blocking effects enlarge the energy gaps at all observed new magic numbers. Tensor blocking also explains consistently the observed peculiar configurations of neutron-rich nuclei at the borders of shells., Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, 1 table

A thick neutron skin emerges from the first determination of root mean square radii of the proton distributions for $^{17-22}$N from charge changing cross section measurements around 900$A$ MeV at GSI. Neutron halo effects are signaled for $^{22}$N from an increase in the proton and matter radii. The radii suggest an unconventional shell gap at $N$ = 14 arising from the attractive proton-neutron tensor interaction, in good agreement with shell model calculations. $Ab$ $initio$, in-medium similarity re-normalization group, calculations with a state-of-the-art chiral nucleon-nucleon and three-nucleon interaction reproduce well the data approaching the neutron drip-line isotopes but are challenged in explaining the complete isotopic trend of the radii., Comment: 18 pages, 3 figures

In typical nuclear physics experiments with radioactive ion beams (RIBs) selected by the in-flight separation technique, Si detectors or ionization chambers are usually equipped for the charge determination of RIBs. The obtained charge resolution relies on the performance of these detectors for energy loss determination, and this affects the particle identification capability of RIBs. We present an approach on improving the resolution of charge measurement for heavy ions by using the abundant energy loss information from different types of existing detectors along the beam line. Without altering the beam line and detectors, this approach can improve the charge resolution by more than 12\% relative to the multiple sampling ionization chamber of the best resolution., Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures

The isospin character of p-n pairs at large relative momentum has been observed for the first time in the 16O ground state. A strong population of the J,T=1,0 state and a very weak population of the J,T=0,1 state were observed in neutron pick up domain of 16O(p,pd) at 392 MeV. This strong isospin dependence at large momentum transfer is not reproduced by the distorted-wave impulse approximation calculations with known spectroscopic amplitudes. The results indicate the presence of high-momentum protons and neutrons induced by the tensor interactions in ground state of 16O., Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Physical Review Letters

We installed a source for ultracold neutrons at a new, dedicated spallation target at TRIUMF. The source was originally developed in Japan and uses a superfluid-helium converter cooled to 0.9$\,$K. During an extensive test campaign in November 2017, we extracted up to 325000 ultracold neutrons after a one-minute irradiation of the target, over three times more than previously achieved with this source. The corresponding ultracold-neutron density in the whole production and guide volume is 5.3$\,$cm$^{-3}$. The storage lifetime of ultracold neutrons in the source was initially 37$\,$s and dropped to 24$\,$s during the eighteen days of operation. During continuous irradiation of the spallation target, we were able to detect a sustained ultracold-neutron rate of up to 1500$\,$s$^{-1}$. Simulations of UCN production, UCN transport, temperature-dependent UCN yield, and temperature-dependent storage lifetime show excellent agreement with the experimental data and confirm that the ultracold-neutron-upscattering rate in superfluid helium is proportional to $T^7$., Comment: 8 pages, 10 figures

A new active target named MAIKo (Mu-PIC based Active target for Inverse Kinematics$_{\circ}$) has been developed at Kyoto University and Research Center for Nuclear Physics (RCNP), Osaka University. MAIKo is suited for missing-mass spectroscopy of unstable nuclei at forward scattering angles in inverse kinematics. MAIKo consists of a time projection chamber (TPC), which incorporates a micro-pixel chamber ($\mu$-PIC) as the electron multiplication and collection system. In MAIKo, the medium gas also plays the role of a reaction target, thus allowing detection of low-energy recoil particles with high position resolution. The MAIKo TPC was commissioned with He(93%)+iso-C$_{4}$H$_{10}$(7%) and He(93%)+CO$_{2}$(7%) mixture gasses at 430 hPa. The gas gain and the angular resolution of MAIKo were evaluated with an alpha source and a $^{4}$He beam at 56 MeV. The TPC was stably operated up to 1000-kcps beam intensity. A tracking algorithm using the Hough transform method has been developed to analyze scattering events. An angular resolution of 1.3$^{\circ}$ was achieved for scattered $^{4}$He particles., Comment: 13 pages, 17 figures

The nuclear shell structure, which originates in the nearly independent motion of nucleons in an average potential, provides an important guide for our understanding of nuclear structure and the underlying nuclear forces. Its most remarkable fingerprint is the existence of the so-called `magic numbers' of protons and neutrons associated with extra stability. Although the introduction of a phenomenological spin-orbit (SO) coupling force in 1949 helped explain the nuclear magic numbers, its origins are still open questions. Here, we present experimental evidence for the smallest SO-originated magic number (subshell closure) at the proton number 6 in 13-20C obtained from systematic analysis of point-proton distribution radii, electromagnetic transition rates and atomic masses of light nuclei. Performing ab initio calculations on 14,15C, we show that the observed proton distribution radii and subshell closure can be explained by the state-of-the-art nuclear theory with chiral nucleon-nucleon and three-nucleon forces, which are rooted in the quantum chromodynamics., Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures

A new type of neutron detector, named Stack Structure Solid organic Scintillator (S$^4$), consisting of multi-layer plastic scintillators with capability to suppress low-energy $\gamma$ rays under high-counting rate has been constructed and tested. To achieve $\it{n}$-$\gamma$ discrimination, we exploit the difference in the ranges of the secondary charged particles produced by the interactions of neutrons and $\gamma$ rays in the scintillator material. The thickness of a plastic scintillator layer was determined based on the results of Monte Carlo simulations using the Geant4 toolkit. With layer thicknesses of 5 mm, we have achieved a good separation between neutrons and $\gamma$ rays at 5 MeV$_{\rm ee}$ threshold setting. We have also determined the detection efficiencies using monoenergetic neutrons at two energies produced by the $\it{d}$+$\it{d}\to\it{n}$+$^{3}$He reaction. The results agree well with the Geant4 simulations implementing the Li$\grave{\rm e}$ge Intranuclear Cascade hadronic model (INCL++) and the high-precision model of low-energy neutron interactions (NeutronHP)., Comment: 32 pages, 13 figures and 1 table

Excitation-energy spectra of $^{11}$C nuclei near the $\eta^\prime$-meson production threshold have been measured by missing-mass spectroscopy using the $^{12}$C($p$,$d$) reaction. A carbon target has been irradiated with a 2.5 GeV proton beam supplied by the synchrotron SIS-18 at GSI to produce $\eta^\prime$ meson bound states in $^{11}$C nuclei. Deuterons emitted at $0^\circ$ in the reaction have been momentum-analyzed by the fragment separator (FRS) used as a high-resolution spectrometer. No distinct structure due to the formation of $\eta^\prime$-mesic states is observed although a high statistical sensitivity is achieved in the experimental spectra. Upper limits on the formation cross sections of $\eta^\prime$-mesic states are determined, and thereby a constraint imposed on the $\eta^\prime$-nucleus interaction is discussed., Comment: 13 pages, 14 figures, accepted for publication in Physical Review C

How does nature hold together protons and neutrons to form the wide variety of complex nuclei in the universe? Describing many-nucleon systems from the fundamental theory of quantum chromodynamics has been the greatest challenge in answering this question. The chiral effective field theory description of the nuclear force now makes this possible but requires certain parameters that are not uniquely determined. Defining the nuclear force needs identification of observables sensitive to the different parametrizations. From a measurement of proton elastic scattering on $^{10}$C at TRIUMF and ab initio nuclear reaction calculations we show that the shape and magnitude of the measured differential cross section is strongly sensitive to the nuclear force prescription., Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures

Excitation spectra of $^{11}$C were measured in the $^{12}$C$(p,d)$ reaction near the $\eta'$ emission threshold. A proton beam extracted from the synchrotron SIS-18 at GSI with an incident energy of 2.5 GeV impinged on a carbon target. The momenta of deuterons emitted at 0 degrees were precisely measured with the fragment separator FRS operated as a spectrometer. In contrast to theoretical predictions on the possible existence of deeply bound $\eta'$ mesic states in carbon nuclei, no distinct structures were observed associated with the formation of bound states. The spectra were analyzed to set stringent constraints on the formation cross section and on the hitherto barely-known $\eta'$-nucleus interaction., Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures

Proton radii of $^{12-19}$C densities derived from first accurate charge changing cross section measurements at 900$A$ MeV with a carbon target are reported. A thick neutron surface evolves from $\sim$ 0.5 fm in $^{15}$C to $\sim$ 1 fm in $^{19}$C. The halo radius in $^{19}$C is found to be 6.4$\pm$0.7 fm as large as $^{11}$Li. Ab initio calculations based on chiral nucleon-nucleon and three-nucleon forces reproduce well the radii., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Lett

We have measured for the first time the charge-changing cross sections ($\sigma_{\text{CC}}$) of $^{12-16}$C on a $^{12}$C target at energies below $100A$ MeV. To analyze these low-energy data, we have developed a finite-range Glauber model with a global parameter set within the optical-limit approximation which is applicable to reaction cross section ($\sigma_{\text{R}}$) and $\sigma_{\text{CC}}$ measurements at incident energies from 10$A$ to $2100A$ MeV. Adopting the proton-density distribution of $^{12}$C known from the electron-scattering data, as well as the bare total nucleon-nucleon cross sections, and the real-to-imaginary-part ratios of the forward proton-proton elastic scattering amplitude available in the literatures, we determine the energy-dependent slope parameter $\beta_{\rm pn}$ of the proton-neutron elastic differential cross section so as to reproduce the existing $\sigma_{\text{R}}$ and interaction-cross-section data for $^{12}$C+$^{12}$C over a wide range of incident energies. The Glauber model thus formulated is applied to calculate the $\sigma_{\text{\tiny R}}$'s of $^{12}$C on a $^9$Be and $^{27}$Al targets at various incident energies. Our calculations show excellent agreement with the experimental data. Applying our model to the $\sigma_{\text{\tiny R}}$ and $\sigma_{\text{\tiny CC}}$ for the "neutron-skin" $^{16}$C nucleus, we reconfirm the importance of measurements at incident energies below $100A$ MeV. The proton root-mean-square radii of $^{12-16}$C are extracted using the measured $\sigma_{\text{CC}}$'s and the existing $\sigma_{\text{R}}$ data. The results for $^{12-14}$C are consistent with the values from the electron scatterings, demonstrating the feasibility, usefulness of the $\sigma_{\text{CC}}$ measurement and the present Glauber model., Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures

Timing-pick up detectors with excellent timing resolutions are essential in many modern nuclear physics experiments. Aiming to develop a Time-Of-Flight system with precision down to about 10 ps, we have made a systematic study of the timing characteristic of TOF detectors, which consist of several combinations of plastic scintillators and photomultiplier tubes. With the conventional electronics, the best timing resolution of about 5.1 ps ({\sigma}) has been achieved for detectors with an area size of 3x1 cm2. It is found that for data digitalization a combination of TAC and ADC can achieve a better time resolution than currently available TDC. Simultaneously measurements of both time and pulse height are very valuable for correction of time-walk effect., Comment: 16 pages, 8 figues

Production cross sections of nitrogen isotopes from high-energy carbon isotopes on hydrogen and carbon targets have been measured for the first time for a wide range of isotopes. The fragment separator FRS at GSI was used to deliver C isotope beams. The cross sections of the production of N isotopes were determined by charge measurements of forward going fragments. The cross sections show a rapid increase with the number of neutrons in the projectile. Since the production of nitrogen is mostly due to charge exchange reactions below the proton separation energies, the present data suggests a concentration of Gamow-Teller and Fermi transition strength at low excitation energies for neutron-rich isotopes. It was also observed that the cross sections were enhanced much more strongly for neutron rich isotopes in the C-target data., Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures, 30 references

The open question of where, when, and how the heavy elements beyond iron enrich our Universe has triggered a new era in nuclear physics studies.\ Of all the relevant nuclear physics inputs, the mass of very neutron-rich nuclides is a key quantity for revealing the origin of heavy elements beyond iron.\ Although the precise determination of this property is a great challenge, enormous progress has been made in recent decades, and it has contributed significantly to both nuclear structure and astrophysical nucleosynthesis studies.\ In this review, we first survey our present knowledge of the nuclear mass surface, emphasizing the importance of nuclear mass precision in $r$-process calculations.\ We then discuss recent progress in various methods of nuclear mass measurement with a few selected examples.\ For each method, we focus on recent breakthroughs and discuss possible ways of improving the weighing of $r$-process nuclides., Comment: 10 figures, review articles in Frontiers of Physics

The possible existence of \eta'-nucleus bound states has been put forward through theoretical and experimental studies. It is strongly related to the \eta' mass at finite density, which is expected to be reduced because of the interplay between the $U_A(1)$ anomaly and partial restoration of chiral symmetry. The investigation of the C(p,d) reaction at GSI and FAIR, as well as an overview of the experimental program at GSI and future plans at FAIR are discussed., Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures; talk at the International Conference on Exotic Atoms and Related Topics (EXA2014), Vienna, Austria, 15-19 September 2014. in Hyperfine Interactions (2015)

The mass of the {\eta}' meson is theoretically expected to be reduced at finite density, which indicates the existence of {\eta}'-nucleus bound states. To investigate these states, we perform missing-mass spectroscopy for the (p, d) reaction near the {\eta}' production threshold. The overview of the experimental situation is given and the current status is discussed., Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures; talk at II Symposium on applied nuclear physics and innovative technologies, September 24th - 27th, 2014, Jagiellonian University, Krak\'ow Poland; to appear in Acta Physica Polonica B

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)

The recent availability of radioactive beams has opened up a new era in nuclear physics. The interactions and structure of exotic nuclei close to the drip lines have been studied extensively world wide, and it has been revealed that unstable nuclei, having weakly bound nucleons, exhibit characteristic features such as a halo structure and a soft dipole excitation. We here review the developments of the physics of unstable nuclei in the past few decades. The topics discussed in this Chapter include the halo and skin structures, the Coulomb breakup, the dineutron correlation, the pair transfer reactions, the two-nucleon radioactivity, the appearance of new magic numbers, and the pygmy dipole resonances., Comment: 43 pages, 30 eps figures. chapter in "100 years of subatomic physics", edited by E.M. Henley and S. Ellis

We have measured 16O(p,d) reaction using 198-, 295- and 392-MeV proton beams to search for a direct evidence on the effect of the tensor interactions in light nucleus. Differential cross sections of the one-neutron transfer reactions populating the ground states and several low-lying excited states in 15O were measured. Comparing the ratios of the cross sections for each excited state to the one for the ground state over a wide range of momentum transfer, we found a marked enhancement for the positive-parity state(s). The observation indicates large components of high-momentum neutrons in the initial ground-state configurations, due possibly to the tensor interactions., Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures

New measurements of the interaction cross sections of 22,23O at 900A MeV performed at the GSI, Darmstadt are reported that address the unsolved puzzle of the large cross section previously observed for 23O. The matter radii for these oxygen isotopes extracted through a Glauber model analysis are in good agreement with the new predictions of the ab initio coupled-cluster theory reported here. They are consistent with a 22O+neutron description of 23O as well., Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures

The MAYA detector is a Time-Charge Projection Chamber based on the concept of active target. These type of devices use a part of the detection system, the filling gas in this case, in the role of reaction target. The MAYA detector performs three-dimensional tracking, in order to determine physical observables of the reactions occurring inside the detector. The reconstruction algorithms of the tracking use the information from a two-dimensional projection on the segmented cathode, and, in general, they need to be adapted for the different experimental settings of the detector. This work presents some of the most relevant solutions developed for the MAYA detector.

The p(\nuc{11}{Li},\nuc{9}{Li})t reaction has been studied for the first time at an incident energy of 3$A$ MeV delivered by the new ISAC-2 facility at TRIUMF. An active target detector MAYA, build at GANIL, was used for the measurement. The differential cross sectionshave been determined for transitions to the \nuc{9}{Li} ground andthe first excited states in a wide range of scattering angles. Multistep transfer calculations using different \nuc{11}{Li} model wave functions, shows that wave functions with strong correlations between the halo neutrons are the most successful in reproducing the observation., Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Physical Review Letters

The 15O(alpha,gamma)19Ne reaction plays a role in the ignition of Type I x-ray bursts on accreting neutron stars. The lifetimes of states in 19Ne above the 15O + alpha threshold of 3.53 MeV are important inputs to calculations of the astrophysical reaction rate. These levels in 19Ne were populated in the 3He(20Ne,alpha)19Ne reaction at a 20Ne beam energy of 34 MeV. The lifetimes of six states above the threshold were measured with the Doppler shift attenuation method (DSAM). The present measurements agree with previous determinations of the lifetimes of these states and in some cases are considerably more precise.

The longitudinal momentum distribution (P_{//}) of fragments after one-proton removal from ^{23} Al and reaction cross sections (\sigma_R) for ^{23,24} Al on carbon target at 74A MeV have been measured. The ^{23,24} Al ions were produced through projectile fragmentation of 135 A MeV ^{28} Si primary beam using RIPS fragment separator at RIKEN. P_{//} is measured by a direct time-of-flight (TOF) technique, while \sigma_R is determined using a transmission method. An enhancement in \sigma_R is observed for ^{23} Al compared with ^{24} Al. The P_{//} for ^{22} Mg fragments from ^{23} Al breakup has been obtained for the first time. FWHM of the distributions has been determined to be 232 \pm 28 MeV/c. The experimental data are discussed by using Few-Body Glauber model. Analysis of P_{//} demonstrates a dominant d-wave configuration for the valence proton in ground state of ^{23} Al, indicating that ^{23} Al is not a proton halo nucleus.

The reaction mechanism of projectile fragmentation at intermediate energies has been investigated observing the target dependence of the production cross sections of very neutron-rich nuclei. Measurement of longitudinal momentum distributions of projectile-like fragments within a wide range of fragment mass and its charge was performed using a hundred-MeV/n $^{40}$Ar beam incident on Be and Ta targets. By measurement of fragment momentum distribution, a parabolic mass dependence of momentum peak shift was observed in the results of both targets, and a phenomenon of light-fragment acceleration was found only in the Be-target data. The analysis of production cross sections revealed an obvious enhancement of the target dependence except target size effect when the neutron excess is increased. This result implies the breakdown of factorization (BOF) of production cross sections for very neutron-rich nuclei near the drip line., Comment: 16 pages, 18 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. C

The recent discovery of heavy-ion fusion hindrance at far sub-barrier energies has focused much attention on both experimental and theoretical studies of this phenomenon. Most of the experimental evidence comes from medium-heavy systems such as Ni+Ni to Zr+Zr, for which the compound system decays primarily by charged-particle evaporation. In order to study heavier systems, it is, however, necessary to measure also the fraction of the decay that goes into fission fragments. In the present work we have, therefore, measured the fission cross section of 16O+197Au down to unprecedented far sub-barrier energies using a large position sensitive PPAC placed at backward angles. The preliminary cross sections will be discussed and compared to earlier studies at near-barrier energies. No conclusive evidence for sub-barrier hindrance was found, probably because the measurements were not extended to sufficiently low energies., Comment: Fusion06 - Intl. Conf. on Reaction Mechanisms and Nuclear Structure at the Coulomb Barrier, San Servolo, Venezia, Italy, March 19-223, 2006 5 pages, 4 figures

The Doppler-shift attenuation method was applied to measure the lifetime of the 4.03 MeV state in 19Ne. Utilizing a 3He-implanted Au foil as a target, the state was populated using the 20Ne(3He,alpha)19Ne reaction in inverse kinematics at a 20Ne beam energy of 34 MeV. De-excitation gamma rays were detected in coincidence with alpha particles. At the 1 sigma level, the lifetime was determined to be 11 +4, -3 fs and at the 95.45% confidence level the lifetime is 11 +8, -7 fs., Comment: 6 pages, submitted to Phys. Rev. C

The excitation function for the fusion-evaporation reaction 64Ni+100Mo has been measured down to a cross-section of ~5 nb. Extensive coupled-channels calculations have been performed, which cannot reproduce the steep fall-off of the excitation function at extreme sub-barrier energies. Thus, this system exhibits a hindrance for fusion, a phenomenon that has been discovered only recently. In the S-factor representation introduced to quantify the hindrance, a maximum is observed at E_s=120.6 MeV, which corresponds to 90% of the reference energy E_s^ref, a value expected from systematics of closed-shell systems. A systematic analysis of Ni-induced fusion reactions leading to compound nuclei with mass A=100-200 is presented in order to explore a possible dependence of the fusion hindrance on nuclear structure., Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures, Submitted to Phys. Rev. C

We study the proton magic O, Ca, Ni, Zr, Sn, and Pb isotope chains from the proton drip line to the neutron drip line with the relativistic continuum Hartree-Bogoliubov (RCHB) theory. Particulary, we study in detail the properties of even-even Ca isotopes due to the appearance of giant halos in neutron rich Ca nuclei near the neutron drip line. The RCHB theory is able to reproduce the experimental binding energies $E_b$ and two neutron separation energies $S_{2n}$ very well. The predicted neutron drip line nuclei are $^{28}$O, $^{72}$Ca, $^{98}$Ni, $^{136}$Zr, $^{176}$Sn, and $^{266}$Pb, respectively. Halo and giant halo properties predicted in Ca isotopes with $A>60$ are investigated in detail from the analysis of two neutron separation energies, nucleon density distributions, single particle energy levels, the occupation probabilities of energy levels including continuum states. The spin-orbit splitting and the diffuseness of nuclear potential in these Ca isotopes are studied also. Furthermore, we study the neighboring lighter isotopes in the drip line Ca region and find some possibility of giant halo nuclei in the Ne-Na-Mg drip line nuclei., Comment: 45 pages, 20 figures

We review the characteristics of nucleosynthesis and radioactivities in 'Hypernovae', i.e., supernovae with very large explosion energies ($ \gsim 10^{52} $ ergs) and their $\gamma$-ray line signatures. We also discuss the $^{44}$Ti line $\gamma$-rays from SN1987A and the detectability with INTEGRAL. Signatures of hypernova nucleosynthesis are seen in the large [(Ti, Zn)/Fe] ratios in very metal poor stars. Radioactivities in hypernovae compared to those of ordinary core-collapse supernovae show the following characteristics: 1) The complete Si burning region is more extended, so that the ejected mass of $^{56}$Ni can be much larger. 2) Si-burning takes place in higher entropy and more $\alpha$-rich environment. Thus the $^{44}$Ti abundance relative to $^{56}$Ni is much larger. In aspherical explosions, $^{44}$Ti is even more abundant and ejected with velocities as high as $\sim$ 15,000 km s$^{-1}$, which could be observed in $\gamma$-ray line profiles. 3) The abundance of $^{26}$Al is not so sensitive to the explosion energy, while the $^{60}$Fe abundance is enhanced by a factor of $\sim$ 3., Comment: Invited talk at the ``GAMMA2001'' Symposium, April 4-6, 2001, Baltimore. To be published in ``Gamma-Ray Astronomy 2001'' (American Institute of Physics)

We study the role of light neutron-rich nuclei during r-process nucleosynthesis in supernovae. Most previous studies of the r-process have concentrated on the reaction flow of heavy unstable nuclei. Although the nuclear reaction network includes a few thousand heavy nuclei, only limited reaction flow through light-mass nuclei near the stability line has been used in those studies. However, in a viable scenario of the r-process in neutrino-driven winds, the initial condition is a high-entropy hot plasma consisting of neutrons, protons, and electron-positron pairs experiencing an intense flux of neutrinos. In such environments light-mass nuclei as well as heavy nuclei are expected to play important roles in the production of seed nuclei and r-process elements. Thus, we have extended our fully implicit nuclear reaction network so that it includes all nuclei up to the neutron drip line for Z $ \leq 10$, in addition to a larger network for Z $ \geq 10$. In the present nucleosynthesis study, we utilize a wind model of massive SNeII explosions to study the effects of this extended network. We find that a new nuclear-reaction flow path opens in the very light neutron-rich region. This new nuclear reaction flow can change the final heavy-element abundances by as much as an order of magnitude., Comment: 27 pages, 8 figures

The ground state properties including radii, density distribution and one neutron separation energy for C, N, O and F isotopes up to the neutron drip line are systematically studied by the fully self-consistent microscopic Relativistic Continuum Hartree-Bogoliubov (RCHB) theory. With the proton density distribution thus obtained, the charge-changing cross sections for C, N, O and F isotopes are calculated using the Glauber model. Good agreement with the data has been achieved. The charge changing cross sections change only slightly with the neutron number except for proton-rich nuclei. Similar trends of variations of proton radii and of charge changing cross sections for each isotope chain is observed which implies that the proton density plays important role in determining the charge-changing cross sections., Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures

The molecule-like structure of the C isotopes (A=12, 14, 16) is investigated using a microscopic $\alpha+\alpha+\alpha+n+n+\cdot \cdot \cdot$ model. The valence neutrons are classified based on the molecular-orbit (MO) model, and both $\pi$-orbit and $\sigma$-orbit are introduced around three $\alpha$-clusters. The valence neutrons which occupy the $\pi$-orbit increase the binding energy and stabilize the linear-chain of 3$\alpha$ against the breathing-like break-up. However, $^{14}$C with the $\pi$-orbit does not show clear energy minimum against the bending-like path. The combination of the valence neutrons in the $\pi$- and the $\sigma$-orbit is promising to stabilize the linear-chain state against the breathing- and bending- modes, and it is found that the excited states of $^{16}$C with the $(3/2^-_\pi)^2(1/2^-_\sigma)^2$ configuration for the four valence neutrons is one of the most promising candidates for such structure., Comment: 9 pages, latex, 4 figures

We use the relativistic mean field (RMF) theory to systematically study the change of deformation of even-even nuclei in the proton-rich Xe region. We investigate the appearance of triaxial deformation in 25 nuclei in the region covering Z=50-58 and N=64-72 by performing constrained, triaxially symmetric RMF calculations of their energy surfaces. We include pairing correlations using the BCS formalism. We find that the Sn isotopes are spherical and the Te isotopes are very gamma unstable with shallow minima around gamma = 60 degrees. Adding more protons, the Xe, Ba and Ce isotopes have prolate deformations with their sizes increasing with proton number. The neutron number dependence is found to be small. We compare the calculated results with the available experimented data on the binding energy and the radii., Comment: 15 pages, 8 figures

The Relativistic Continuum Hartree Bogoliubov theory (RCHB), which is the extension of the Relativistic Mean Field and the Bogoliubov transformation in the coordinate representation, has been used to study tin isotopes. The pairing correlation is taken into account by a density-dependent force of zero range. RCHB is used to describe the even-even tin isotopes all the way from the proton drip line to the neutron drip line. The contribution of the continuum which is important for nuclei near the drip-line has been taken into account. The theoretical $S_{2n}$ as well as the neutron, proton, and matter $rms$ radii are presented and compared with the experimental values where they exist. The change of the potential surface with the neutron number has been investigated. The diffuseness of the potentials in tin isotopes is analyzed through the spin-orbital splitting in order to provide new way to understand the halo phenomena in exotic nuclei. The systematic of the isospin and energy dependence of these results are extracted and analyzed., Comment: 11 figures