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The electric dipole strength distribution in $^{58}$Ni between 6 and 20 MeV has been determined from proton inelastic scattering experiments at very forward angles at RCNP, Osaka. The experimental data are rather well reproduced by quasiparticle random-phase approximation calculations including vibration coupling, despite a mild dependence on the adopted Skyrme interaction. They allow an estimate of the experimentally inaccessible high-energy contribution above 20 MeV, leading to an electric dipole polarizability $\alpha_\mathrm{D}(^{58}{\rm Ni}) = 3.48(31)$ fm$^3$. This serves as a test case for recent extensions of coupled-cluster calculations with chiral effective field theory interactions to nuclei with two nucleons on top of a closed-shell system., Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures

The aim of the present work is a state-by-state analysis of possible E1 and M1 transitions in $^{58}$Ni with a high-resolution (p,p') experiment at 295 MeV and very forward angles including 0{\deg} and a comparison to results from studies of the dipole strength with the $(\gamma,\gamma')$ and (e,e') reactions. The E1 and M1 cross sections of individual peaks in the spectra are deduced with a multipole decomposition analysis and converted to reduced E1 and spin-M1 transition strengths using the virtual photon and the unit cross-section method, respectively. Despite the high level density good agreement is obtained for the deduced excitation energies of J = 1 states in the three types of experiments indicating that the same states are excited. The B(E1) and B(M1) strengths from the $(\gamma,\gamma^\prime)$ experiments are systematically smaller than in the present work because of the lack of information on branching ratios to lower-lying excited states and the competition of particle emission. Fair agreement with the B(M1) strengths extracted from the (e,e') data is obtained after removal of E1 transitions uniquely assigned in the present work, which belong to a low-energy toroidal mode with unusual properties mimicking M1 excitations in electron scattering. The experimental M1 strength distribution is compared to large-scale shell-model calculations with the effective GXPF1A and KB3G interactions. They provide a good description of the isospin splitting and the running sum of the M1 strength. A quenching factor 0.74 for the spin-isospin part of the M1 operator is needed to attain quantitative agreement with the data., Comment: 16 pages, 15 figures

We present a systematic study of the mass dependence of the low-energy electric dipole strength (LEDS) in Sn isotopes in the range $ A = 111 - 124$ based on data obtained with the Oslo method and with relativistic Coulomb excitation in forward-angle ($p,p^\prime$) scattering. The combined data cover an energy range of $2 - 20$ MeV which permits, with minimal assumptions, a decomposition of the total strength into the contribution from the low-energy tail of the isovector giant dipole resonance (IVGDR) and possible resonance-like structures on top of it. In all cases, a resonance peaked at about 8.3 MeV is observed, exhausting an approximately constant fraction of the Thomas-Reiche-Kuhn (TRK) sum rule with a local maximum at $^{120}$Sn which might be related to shell structure effects. For heavier isotopes ($A \geq 118$) a consistent description of the data requires the inclusion of a second resonance centered at 6.5 MeV, representing the isovector response of the pygmy dipole resonance (PDR). Its strength corresponds to a small fraction of the total LEDS only and shows an approximately linear dependence on mass number. The experimental results are also compared to ab initio-based microscopic calculations to investigate the importance of an inclusion of quasiparticle vibration coupling (qPVC) for a realistic description of the LEDS., Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures

The $^{111,112,113}$Sn isotopes have been studied with ($p,d \gamma$), ($p,p^{\prime} \gamma$), and ($d,p \gamma$) reactions to extract the nuclear level densities (NLDs) and $\gamma$-ray strength functions (GSFs) of these nuclei below the neutron separation energy by means of the Oslo method. The experimental NLDs for all three nuclei demonstrate a trend compatible with the constant-temperature model below the neutron separation energy while also being in good agreement with the NLDs of neighboring Sn isotopes, obtained previously with the Oslo-type and neutron evaporation experiments. The extracted microcanonical entropies yield $\approx 1.5$ $k_B$ entropy of a valence neutron in both $^{111}$Sn and $^{113}$Sn. Moreover, the deduced microcanonical temperatures indeed suggest a clear constant-temperature behavior above $\approx$ 3 MeV in $^{111,113}$Sn and above $\approx$ 4.5 MeV in $^{112}$Sn. We observe signatures for the first broken neutron pairs between 2 and 4 MeV in all three nuclei. The GSFs obtained with the Oslo method are found to be in good agreement below the neutron threshold with the strengths of $^{112,114}$Sn extracted in the ($p,p^{\prime}$) Coulomb excitation experiments., Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures

The $\gamma$-ray strength functions (GSF) and nuclear level densities (NLD) below the neutron threshold have been extracted for $^{111-113,116-122,124}$Sn from particle-$\gamma$ coincidence data with the Oslo method. The evolution of bulk properties of the low-lying electric dipole response has been investigated on the basis of the Oslo GSF data and results of a recent systematic study of electric and magnetic dipole strengths in even-even Sn isotopes with relativistic Coulomb excitation. The obtained GSFs reveal a resonance-like peak on top of the tail of the isovector giant dipole resonance, centered at $\approx$8 MeV and exhausting $\approx$2\% of the classical Thomas-Reiche-Kuhn (TRK) sum. In contrast to predictions of the relativistic quasiparticle random-phase and time-blocking approximation calculations (RQRPA and RQTBA), no monotonous increase in the total low-lying $E1$ strength was observed in the experimental data from $^{111}$Sn to $^{124}$Sn, demonstrating rather similar strength distributions in these nuclei. The Oslo GSFs and NLDs were further used as inputs to constrain the cross sections and Maxwellian-averaged cross sections of $(n,\gamma)$ reactions in the Sn isotopic chain using TALYS. The obtained results agree well with other available experimental data and the recommended values from the JINA REACLIB, BRUSLIB, and KADoNiS libraries. Despite relatively small exhausted fractions of the TRK sum rule, the low-lying electric dipole strength makes a noticeable impact on the radiative neutron-capture cross sections in stable Sn isotopes. Moreover, the experimental Oslo inputs for the $^{121,123}$Sn$(n,\gamma)$$^{122,124}$Sn reactions were found to affect the production of Sb in the astrophysical $i$-process, providing new constraints on the uncertainties of the resulting chemical abundances from multi-zone low-metallicity Asymptotic Giant Branch stellar models., Comment: 27 pages, 14 pages. Submitted to Physical Review C journal on 13 November 2023

Dipole toroidal modes appear in many fields of physics. In nuclei, such a mode was predicted more than 50 years ago, but clear experimental evidence was lacking so far. Using a combination of high-resolution inelastic scattering experiments with photons, electrons and protons, we identify for the first time candidates for toroidal dipole excitations in the nucleus $^{58}$Ni and demonstrate that transverse electron scattering form factors represent a relevant experimental observable to prove their nature., Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures

Over the past two decades high energy-resolution inelastic proton scattering studies were used to gain an understanding of the origin of fine structure observed in the isoscalar giant quadrupole resonance (ISGQR) and the isovector giant dipole resonance (IVGDR). Recently, the isoscalar giant monopole resonance (ISGMR) in $^{58}$Ni, $^{90}$Zr, $^{120}$Sn and $^{208}$Pb was studied at the iThemba Laboratory for Accelerator Based Sciences (iThemba LABS) by means of inelastic $\alpha$-particle scattering at very forward scattering angles (including $0\circ$). The good energy resolution of the measurement revealed significant fine structure of the ISGMR.~To extract scales by means of wavelet analysis characterizing the observed fine structure of the ISGMR in order to investigate the role of different mechanisms contributing to its decay width. Characteristic energy scales are extracted from the fine structure using continuous wavelet transforms. The experimental energy scales are compared to different theoretical approaches performed in the framework of quasiparticle random phase approximation (QRPA) and beyond-QRPA including complex configurations using both non-relativistic and relativistic density functional theory. All models highlight the role of Landau fragmentation for the damping of the ISGMR especially in the medium-mass region. Models which include the coupling between one particle-one hole (1p-1h) and two particle-two hole (2p-2h) configurations modify the strength distributions and wavelet scales indicating the importance of the spreading width. The effect becomes more pronounced with increasing mass number. Wavelet scales remain a sensitive measure of the interplay between Landau fragmentation and the spreading width in the description of the fine structure of giant resonances., Comment: 13 pages,7 figures, regular article

The electric dipole strength distribution in $^{40}$Ca between 5 and 25 MeV has been determined at RCNP, Osaka, from proton inelastic scattering experiments at very forward angles. Combined with total photoabsorption data at higher excitation energy, this enables an extraction of the electric dipole polarizability $\alpha_\mathrm{D}$($^{40}$Ca) = 1.92(17) fm$^3$. Together with the measured $\alpha_{\rm D}$ in $^{48}$Ca, it provides a stringent test of modern theoretical approaches, including coupled cluster calculations with chiral effective field theory interactions and state-of-the art energy density functionals. The emerging picture is that for this medium-mass region dipole polarizabilities are well described theoretically, with important constraints for the neutron skin in $^{48}$Ca and related equation of state quantities., Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures

Nuclear level densities (NLDs) and $\gamma$-ray strength functions (GSFs) of $^{120,124}$Sn have been extracted with the Oslo method from proton-$\gamma$ coincidences in the ($p,p^{\prime}\gamma)$ reaction. The functional forms of the GSFs and NLDs have been further constrained with the Shape method by studying primary $\gamma$-transitions to the ground and first excited states.The NLDs demonstrate good agreement with the NLDs of $^{116,118,122}$Sn isotopes measured previously. Moreover, the extracted partial NLD of 1$^{-}$ levels in $^{124}$Sn is shown to be in fair agreement with those deduced from spectra of relativistic Coulomb excitation in forward-angle inelastic proton scattering. The experimental NLDs have been applied to estimate the magnitude of the Porter-Thomas (PT) fluctuations. Within the PT fluctuations, we conclude that the GSFs for both isotopes can be considered to be independent of initial and final excitation energies, in accordance with the generalized Brink-Axel hypothesis. Particularly large fluctuations observed in the Shape-method GSFs present a considerable contribution to the uncertainty of the method, and may be one of the reasons for deviations from the Oslo-method strength at low $\gamma$-ray energies and low values of the NLD (below $\approx1\cdot10^{3}-2\cdot10^{3}$ MeV$^{-1}$)., Comment: 17 pages, 12 figures

Inelastic $\alpha$-particle scattering at energies of a few hundred MeV and very-forward scattering angles including $0^\circ$ has been established as a tool for the study of the isoscalar giant monopole (IS0) strength distributions in nuclei. An independent investigation of the IS0 strength in nuclei across a wide mass range was performed using the $0^\circ$ facility at iThemba Laboratory for Accelerator Based Sciences (iThemba LABS), South Africa, to understand differences observed between IS0 strength distributions in previous experiments performed at the Texas A\&M University (TAMU) Cyclotron Institute, USA and the Research Center for Nuclear Physics (RCNP), Japan. The isoscalar giant monopole resonance (ISGMR) was excited in $^{58}$Ni, $^{90}$Zr, $^{120}$Sn and $^{208}$Pb using $\alpha$-particle inelastic scattering with $196$ MeV $\alpha$ beam and scattering angles $\theta_{\text{Lab}} = 0^\circ$ and $4^\circ$. The K$600$ magnetic spectrometer at iThemba LABS was used to detect and momentum analyze the inelastically scattered $\alpha$ particles. The IS0 strength distributions in the nuclei studied were deduced with the difference-of-spectra (DoS) technique including a correction factor for the $4^\circ$ data based on the decomposition of $L > 0$ cross sections in previous experiments. IS0 strength distributions for $^{58}$Ni, $^{90}$Zr, $^{120}$Sn and $^{208}$Pb are extracted in the excitation-energy region $E_{\rm x} = 9 - 25$ MeV.Using correction factors extracted from the RCNP experiments, there is a fair agreement with their published IS0 results. Good agreement for IS0 strength in $^{58}$Ni is also obtained with correction factors deduced from the TAMU results, while marked differences are found for $^{90}$Zr and $^{208}$Pb., Comment: 12 pages, 10 figures, regular article submitted to PRC

Photo-nuclear reactions of light nuclei below a mass of $A=60$ are studied experimentally and theoretically by the PANDORA (Photo-Absorption of Nuclei and Decay Observation for Reactions in Astrophysics) project. Two experimental methods, virtual-photon excitation by proton scattering and real-photo absorption by a high-brilliance gamma-ray beam produced by laser Compton scattering, will be applied to measure the photo-absorption cross sections and the decay branching ratio of each decay channel as a function of the photon energy. Several nuclear models, e.g. anti-symmetrized molecular dynamics, mean-field type models, a large-scale shell model, and ab initio models, will be employed to predict the photo-nuclear reactions. The uncertainty in the model predictions will be evaluated from the discrepancies between the model predictions and the experimental data. The data and the predictions will be implemented in a general reaction calculation code TALYS . The results will be applied to the simulation of the photo-disintegration process of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays in inter-galactic propagation.

The fine structure of the IsoVector Giant Dipole Resonance (IVGDR) in the doubly-magic nuclei $^{40,48}$Ca observed in inelastic proton scattering experiments under $0^\circ$ is used to investigate the role of different mechanisms contributing to the IVGDR decay width. Characteristic energy scales are extracted from the fine structure by means of wavelet analysis. The experimental scales are compared to different theoretical approaches allowing for the inclusion of complex configurations beyond the mean-field level. Calculations are performed in the framework of RPA and beyond-RPA in a relativistic approach based on an effective meson-exchange interaction, with the UCOM effective interaction and, for the first time, with realistic two- plus three-nucleon interactions from chiral effective field theory employing the in-medium similarity renormalization group. All models highlight the role of Landau fragmentation for the damping of the IVGDR, while the differences in the coupling strength between one particle-one hole (1p-1h) and two particle-two hole (2p-2h) correlated (relativistic) and non-correlated (non-relativistic) configurations lead to very different pictures of the importance of the spreading width resulting in wavelet scales being a sensitive measure of their interplay. The relativistic approach with particle-vibration coupling, in particular, shows impressive agreement with the number and absolute values of the scales extracted from the experimental data., Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures

Two recent studies of the evolution of the isoscalar giant monopole resonance (ISGMR) within the calcium isotope chain report conflicting results. One study suggests that the monopole resonance energy, and thus the incompressibility of the nucleus $K_{A}$ increase with mass, which implies that $K_{\tau}$, the asymmetry term in the nuclear incompressibility, has a positive value. The other study reports a weak decreasing trend of the energy moments, resulting in a generally accepted negative value for $K_{\tau}$. An independent measurement of the central region of the ISGMR in the Ca isotope chain is provided to gain a better understanding of the origin of possible systematic trends. Inelastically scattered $\alpha$ particles from a range of calcium targets ($\mathrm{^{40,42,44,48}Ca}$), observed at small scattering angles including 0$^\circ$, were momentum analyzed in the K600 magnetic spectrometer at iThemba LABS, South Africa. Monopole strengths spanning an excitation-energy range between 9.5 and 25.5 MeV were obtained using the difference-of-spectra (DoS) technique. The structure of the $E0$ strength distributions of $^{40,42,44}$Ca agrees well with the results from the previous measurement that supports a weak decreasing trend of the energy moments, while no two datasets agree in the case of $^{48}$Ca. Despite the variation in the structural character of $E0$ strength distribution from different studies, we find for all datasets that the moment ratios, calculated from the ISGMR strength in the excitation-energy range that defines the main resonance region, display at best only a weak systematic sensitivity to a mass increase. Different trends observed in the nuclear incompressibility are caused by contributions to the $E0$ strength outside of the main resonance region, and in particular for high excitation energies., Comment: 11 pages, 11 figures, submitted to Physical Review C

Background: In highly deformed nuclei, there is a noticeable coupling of the Isoscalar Giant Monopole Resonance (ISGMR) and the $K = 0$ component of the Isoscalar Giant Quadrupole Resonance (ISGQR), which results in a double peak structure of the isoscalar monopole (IS0) strength (a narrow low-energy deformation-induced peak and a main broad ISGMR part). The energy of the narrow low-lying IS0 peak is sensitive to both the incompressibility modulus $K_\infty$ and the coupling between IS0 and isoscalar quadrupole (IS2) strength. Objective: This study aims to investigate the two-peaked structure of the ISGMR in the prolate $^{24}$Mg and oblate $^{28}$Si nuclei and identify among a variety of energy density functionals based on Skyrme parameterisations the one which best describes the experimental data. This will allow for conclusions regarding the nuclear incompressibility. Because of the strong IS0/IS2 coupling, the deformation splitting of the ISGQR will also be analysed. Methods: The ISGMR was excited in $^{24}$Mg and $^{28}$Si using $\alpha$-particle inelastic scattering measurements acquired with an $E_\alpha = 196$ MeV beam at scattering angles $\theta_{\text{Lab}} = 0^\circ$ and $4^\circ$. The K$600$ magnetic spectrometer at iThemba LABS was used to detect and momentum analyse the inelastically scattered $\alpha$ particles. An experimental energy resolution of $\approx 70$ keV (FWHM) was attained, revealing fine structure in the excitation-energy region of the ISGMR. The IS0 strength distributions in the nuclei studied were obtained with the Difference-of-Spectrum (DoS) technique. The theoretical comparison is based on the quasiparticle random-phase approximation (QRPA) with a representative set of Skyrme forces., Comment: 17 pages, 16 figures, regular article

The Nuclear Level Densities (NLDs) and the $\gamma$-ray Strength Functions ($\gamma$SFs) of $^{153,155}$Sm have been extracted from (d,p$\gamma$) coincidences using the Oslo method. The experimental NLD of $^{153}$Sm is higher than the NLD of $^{155}$Sm, in accordance with microscopic calculations. The $\gamma$SFs of $^{153,155}$Sm are in fair agreement with QRPA calculations based on the D1M Gogny interaction. An enhancement is observed in the $\gamma$SF for both $^{153,155}$Sm nuclei around 3 MeV in excitation energy and is attributed to the M1 Scissors Resonance (SR). Their integrated strengths were found to be in the range 1.3 - 2.1 and 4.4 - 6.4 $\mu^{2}_{N}$ for $^{153}$Sm and $^{155}$Sm, respectively. The strength of the SR for $^{155}$Sm is comparable to those for deformed even-even Sm isotopes from nuclear resonance fluorescence measurements, while that of $^{153}$Sm is lower than expected.

The validity of the Brink-Axel hypothesis, which is especially important for numerous astrophysical calculations, is addressed for 116,120,124Sn below the neutron separation energy by means of three independent experimental methods. The $\gamma$-ray strength functions (GSFs) extracted from primary $\gamma$-decay spectra following charged-particle reactions with the Oslo method and with the Shape method demonstrate excellent agreement with those deduced from forward-angle inelastic proton scattering at relativistic beam energies. In addition, the GSFs are shown to be independent of excitation energies and spins of the initial and final states. The results provide a critical test of the generalized Brink-Axel hypothesis in heavy nuclei, demonstrating its applicability in the energy region of the pygmy dipole resonance., Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, Phys. Rev. Lett. (in press)

A new data acquisition system for the high resolution magnetic spectrometer Lintott at the superconducting Darmstadt electron linear accelerator S-DALINAC was developed. It allows inclusive and coincidence electron scattering experiments with event rates up to 10 kHz., Comment: 11 pages, 12 figures

Background: Inelastic proton scattering at energies of a few hundred MeV and very-forward angles including $0^\circ$ has been established as a tool to study electric-dipole strength distributions in nuclei. The present work reports a systematic investigation of the chain of stable even-mass Nd isotopes representing a transition from spherical to quadrupole-deformed nuclei. Purpose: Extraction of the equivalent photo-absorption cross sections and analysis of their fine structure in the energy region of the IsoVector Giant Dipole Resonance (IVGDR). Method: Proton inelastic scattering reactions of 200 MeV protons were measured at iThemba LABS in Cape Town, South Africa. The scattering products were momentum-analysed by the K600 magnetic spectrometer positioned at $\theta_{\mathrm{Lab}}=0^\circ$. Using dispersion-matching techniques, energy resolutions of $\Delta E \approx 40 - 50$ keV were obtained. After subtraction of background and contributions from other multipoles, the spectra were converted to photo-absorption cross sections using the equivalent virtual-photon method. Results: Wavelet-analysis techniques are used to extract characteristic energy scales of the fine structure of the IVGDR from the experimental data. Comparisons with the Quasiparticle-Phonon Model (QPM) and Skyrme Separable Random Phase Approximation (SSRPA) predictions provide insight into the role of different giant resonance damping mechanisms. Conclusions: Fine structure is observed even for the most deformed nuclei studied. Fragmentation of the one particle-one hole ($1p1h$) strength seems to be the main source of fine structure in both spherical and deformed nuclei. Some impact of the spreading due to coupling of the two particle-two hole ($2p2h$) states to the $1p1h$ doorway states is seen in the spherical/transitional nuclei, where calculations beyond the $1p1h$ level are available., Comment: 17 pages, 17 figures; Minor changes made such as those clarifying the descriptions of the analysis procedure, but the results are unchanged. The current version was accepted for publication by PRC on 7 December 2020

Experiments investigating the fine structure of the IsoScalar Giant Monopole Resonance (ISGMR) of 48Ca were carried out with a 200 MeV alpha inelastic-scattering reaction, using the high energy-resolution capability and the zero-degree setup at the K600 magnetic spectrometer of iThemba LABS, Cape Town, South Africa. Considerable fine structure is observed in the energy region of the ISGMR. Characteristic energy scales are extracted from the experimental data by means of a wavelet analysis and compared with the state-of-the-art theoretical calculations within a Skyrme-RPA (random phase approximation) approach using the finite-rank separable approximation with the inclusion of phonon-phonon coupling (PPC). Good agreement was observed between the experimental data and the theoretical predictions., Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, contribution to the proceedings of the 27th International Nuclear Physics Conference (INPC) 2019, July 29- August 2, Glasgow, UK

Inelastic proton scattering experiments were performed at the Research Center for Nuclear Physics, Osaka, with a 295 MeV beam covering laboratory angles 0{\deg}-6{\deg} and excitation energies 6-22 MeV. Cross sections due to E1 and M1 excitations were extracted with a multipole decomposition analysis and then converted to reduced transition probabilities with the "virtual photon method" for E1 and the "unit cross section method" for M1 excitations, respectively. Including a theory-aided correction for the high excitation energy region not covered experimentally, the electric dipole polarizability was determined from the E1 strength distributions. Total photoabsorption cross sections derived from the E1 and M1 strength distributions show significant differences compared to those from previous ($\gamma$,xn) experiments in the energy region of the isocvector giant dipole resonance (IVGDR). The widths of the IVGDR deduced from the present data with a Lorentz parameterization show an approximately constant value of about 4.5 MeV in contrast to the large variations between isotopes observed in previous work. The IVGDR centroid energies are in good correspondence to expectations from systematics of their mass dependence. Furthermore, a study of the dependence of the IVGDR energies on bulk matter properties is presented. The E1 strengths below neutron threshold show fair agreement with results from ($\gamma$,$\gamma$') experiments on 112,116,120,124Sn in the energy region between 6 and 7 MeV. At higher excitation energies large differences are observed pointing to a different nature of the excited states with small ground state branching ratios. The isovector spin-M1 strengths exhibit a broad distribution between 6 and 12 MeV in all studied nuclei., Comment: 32 pages, 23 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. C

The dipole polarizability of stable even-mass tin isotopes 112,114,116,118,120,124 was extracted from inelastic proton scattering experiments at 295 MeV under very forward angles performed at RCNP. Predictions from energy density functionals cannot account for the present data and the polarizability of 208Pb simultaneously. The evolution of the polarizabilities in neighboring isotopes indicates a kink at 120Sn while all model results show a nearly linear increase with mass number after inclusion of pairing corrections., Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Phys. Lett. B

The form factor of the electromagnetic excitation of $^{12}$C to its 2$^+_1$ state was measured at extremely low momentum transfers in an electron scattering experiment at the S-DALINAC. A combined analysis with the world form factor data results in a reduced transition strength $B(E2; 2^+_1\rightarrow 0^+_1) =7.63(19)$ e$^2$fm$^4$ with an accuracy improved to 2.5\%. In-Medium-No Core Shell Model results with interactions derived from chiral effective field theory are capable to reproduce the result. A quadrupole moment $Q(2^+_1) = 5.97(30)$ efm$^2$ can be extracted from the strict correlation with the $B((E2)$ strength emerging in the calculations., Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. C

Inelastic ${}^{6}$Li scattering at 100 MeV/u on ${}^{12}$C and ${}^{93}$Nb have been measured with the high-resolution magnetic spectrometer Grand Raiden. The magnetic-rigidity settings of the spectrometer covered excitation energies from 10 to 40 MeV and scattering angles in the range $0^\circ < \theta_{\text{lab.}}< 2^\circ$. The isoscalar giant monopole resonance was selectively excited in the present data. Measurements free of instrumental background and the very favorable resonance-to-continuum ratio of ${}^{6}$Li scattering allowed for precise determination of the $E0$ strengths in ${}^{12}$C and ${}^{93}$Nb. It was found that the monopole strength in ${}^{12}$C exhausts $52 \pm 3^\text{(stat.)} \pm 8 ^\text{(sys.)}$\% of the energy-weighted sum rule (EWSR), which is considerably higher than results from previous $\alpha$-scattering experiments. The monopole strength in ${}^{93}$Nb exhausts $92 \pm 4^\text{(stat.)} \pm 10 ^\text{(sys.)}$\% of the EWSR, and it is consistent with measurements of nuclei with mass number of $A\approx90$. Such comparison indicates that the isoscalar giant monopole resonance distributions in these nuclei are very similar, and no influence due to nuclear structure was observed., Comment: 6 Figures

The superconducting electron accelerator S-DALINAC enables electron scattering experiments with low momentum transfer and high energy resolution. In order to perform experiments on helium with high precision and high luminosity, a superfluid liquid helium target with good temperature stability was developed. The functionality of this target could be confirmed and its properties were characterized in a commissioning experiment., Comment: 18 pages, 8 figures, submitted to NIMA

We review the phenomenon of fine structure of nuclear giant resonances and its relation to different resonance decay mechanisms. Wavelet analysis of the experimental spectra provides quantitative information on the fine structure in terms of characteristic scales. A comparable analysis of resonance strength distributions from microscopic approaches incorporating one or several of the resonance decay mechanisms allows conclusions on the source of the fine structure. For the isoscalar giant quadrupole resonance (ISGQR), spreading through the first step of the doorway mechanism, i.e.\ coupling between one particle-one hole ($1p1h$) and two particle-two hole ($2p2h$) states is identified as the relevant mechanism. In heavy nuclei it is dominated by coupling to low-lying surface vibrations, while in lighter nuclei stochastic coupling becomes increasingly important. The fine structure observed for the isovector giant dipole resonance (IVGDR) arises mainly from the fragmentation of the $1p1h$ strength (Landau damping), although some indications for the relevance of the spreading width are also found., Comment: 15 pages, 16 figures. Submitted to Eur. Phys. J A, special issue "Giant, pygmy, pairing resonances and related topics"

Inelastic proton scattering under extreme forward angles including $0^\circ$ and at energies of a few hundred MeV has been established as a new spectroscopic tool for the study of complete dipole strength distributions in nuclei. Such data allow an extraction of the electric dipole polarizability which provides important constraints parameters of the symmetry energy, which determine the neutron skin thickness and the equation of state (EOS) of neutron-rich matter. Also new insight into the much-debated nature of the pygmy dipole resonance (PDR) is obtained. Additionally, the isovector spin-M1 resonance can be studied in heavy nuclei, where only limited experimental information exists so far. Together with much improved results on the isoscalar spin-M1 strength distributions in $N = Z$ nuclei, these data shed new light on the phenomenon of quenching of the nuclear spin response. Using dispersion matching techniques, high energy resolution ($\Delta E/E \leq 10^{-4} \,\,$ full width at half maximum, FWHM) can be achieved in the experiments. In spherical-vibrational nuclei considerable fine structure is observed in the energy region of the isovector giant dipole resonance (IVGDR). A quantitative analysis of the fine structure with wavelet methods provides information on the role of different damping mechanisms contributing to the width of the IVGDR. Furthermore, level densities can be extracted from a fluctuation analysis at excitation energies well above neutron threshold, a region hardly accessible by other means. The combination of the gamma strength function (GSF) extracted from the E1 and M1 strength distributions with the independently derived level density permits novel tests of the Brink-Axel hypothesis underlying all calculations of statistical model reaction cross sections in astrophysical applications in the energy region of the PDR., Comment: 52 pages, 64 figures, review article submitted to Eur. Phys. J. A

Experimental tests of the Brink-Axel hypothesis relating gamma strength functions (GSF) deduced from absorption and emission experiments are discussed. High-resolution inelastic proton scattering at energies of a few hundred MeV and at very forwrd angles including $0^\circ$ presents a new approach to test the validity of the BA hypothesis in the energy region of the pygmy dipole resonance. Such data not only provide the GSF but also the level density and thus permit an independent test of their model-dependent decomposition in the Oslo method., Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, Invited talk presented at the 6th International Workshop on Compound-Nuclear Reactions and Related Topics, Berkeley, USA, September 24-28, 2018

Fine structure of giant resonances (GR) has been established in recent years as a global phenomenon across the nuclear chart and for different types of resonances. A quantitative description of the fine structure in terms of characteristic scales derived by wavelet techniques is discussed. By comparison with microscpic calculations of GR strength distributions one can extract information on the role of different decay mechanisms contributing to the width of GRs. The observed cross-section fluctuations contain information on the level density (LD) of states with a given spin and parity defined by the multipolarity of the GR., Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, Invited Lecture presented at the Zakopane Conference on Nuclear Physics "Extremes of the Nuclear Landscape", Zakopane, Poland, August 26 - September 2, 2018

A survey of the fine structure of the Isovector Giant Dipole Resonance (IVGDR) was performed, using the recently commissioned zero-degree facility of the K600 magnetic spectrometer at iThemba LABS. Inelastic proton scattering at an incident energy of 200 MeV was measured on $^{27}$Al, $^{40}$Ca, $^{56}$Fe, $^{58}$Ni and $^{208}$Pb. A high energy resolution ($\rm{\Delta}\it{E} \simeq$ 40 keV FWHM) could be achieved after utilising faint-beam and dispersion-matching techniques. Considerable fine structure is observed in the energy region of the IVGDR and characteristic energy scales are extracted from the experimental data by means of a wavelet analysis. The comparison with Quasiparticle-Phonon Model (QPM) calculations provides insight into the relevance of different giant resonance decay mechanisms. Photoabsorption cross sections derived from the data assuming dominance of relativistic Coulomb excitation are in fair agreement with previous work using real photons., Comment: 15 pages, 15 figures

The phenomenon of fine structure of the Isoscalar Giant Quadrupole Resonance (ISGQR) has been studied with high energy-resolution proton inelastic scattering at iThemba LABS in the chain of stable even-mass Nd isotopes covering the transition from spherical to deformed ground states. A wavelet analysis of the background-subtracted spectra in the deformed 146,148,150Nd isotopes reveals characteristic scales in correspondence with scales obtained from a Skyrme RPA calculation using the SVmas10 parameterization. A semblance analysis shows that these scales arise from the energy shift between the main fragments of the K = 0, 1 and K = 2 components., Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures

The spinflip M1 resonance in the doubly magic nucleus $^{48}$Ca, dominated by a single transition, serves as a reference case for the quenching of spin-isospin modes in nuclei. The aim of the present work is a search for weak M1 transitions in $^{48}$Ca with a high-resolution (p,p') experiment at 295 MeV and forward angles including 0 degree and a comparison to results from a similar study using backward-angle electron scattering at low momentum transfers in order to estimate their contribution to the total B(M1) strength. M1 cross sections of individual peaks in the spectra are deduced with a multipole decomposition analysis. The corresponding reduced B(M1) transition strengths are extracted following the approach outlined in J. Birkhan et al., Phys. Rev. C 93, 041302(R) (2016). In total, 29 peaks containing a M1 contribution are found in the excitation energy region 7 - 13 MeV. The resulting B(M1) strength distribution compares well to the electron scattering results considering different factors limiting the sensitivity in both experiments and the enhanced importance of mechanisms breaking the proportionality of nuclear cross sections and electromagnetic matrix elements for weak transitions as studied here. The total strength of 1.19(6) $\mu_N^2$ deduced assuming a non-quenched isoscalar part of the (p,p') cross sections agrees with the (e,e') result of 1.21(13) $\mu_N^2$. A binwise analysis above 10 MeV provides an upper limit of 1.62(23) $\mu_N^2$. The present results confirm that weak transitions contribute about 25% to the total B(M1) strength in $^{48}$Ca and the quenching factors of GT and spin-M1 strength are comparable in fp-shell nuclei. Thus, the role of of meson exchange currents seems to be neglible, in contrast to sd-shell nuclei., Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures, revised analysis with oxygen contamination removed

Proton inelastic scattering experiments at energy E_p = 200 MeV and a spectrometer scattering angle of 0 degree were performed on 144,146,148,150Nd and 152Sm exciting the IsoVector Giant Dipole Resonance (IVGDR). Comparison with results from photo-absorption experiments reveals a shift of resonance maxima towards higher energies for vibrational and transitional nuclei. The extracted photo-absorption cross sections in the most deformed nuclei, 150Nd and 152Sm, exhibit a pronounced asymmetry rather than a distinct double-hump structure expected as a signature of K-splitting. This behaviour can be related to the proximity of these nuclei to the critical point of the phase shape transition from vibrators to rotors with a soft quadrupole deformation potential. Self-consistent random-phase approximation (RPA) calculations using the SLy6 Skyrme force provide a relevant description of the IVGDR shapes deduced from the present data, Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures

The electric dipole strength distribution in Ca-48 between 5 and 25 MeV has been determined at RCNP, Osaka, from proton inelastic scattering experiments at forward angles. Combined with photoabsorption data at higher excitation energy, this enables for the first time the extraction of the electric dipole polarizability alpha_D(Ca-48) = 2.07(22) fm^3. Remarkably, the dipole response of Ca-48 is found to be very similar to that of Ca-40, consistent with a small neutron skin in Ca-48. The experimental results are in good agreement with ab initio calculations based on chiral effective field theory interactions and with state-of-the-art density-functional calculations, implying a neutron skin in Ca-48 of 0.14 - 0.20 fm., Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures

The gamma strength function and level density of 1- states in 96Mo have been extracted from a high-resolution study of the (p,p') reaction at 295 MeV and extreme forward angles. By comparison with compound nucleus $\gamma$ decay experiments, this allows a test of the generalized Brink-Axel hypothesis in the energy region of the Pygmy Dipole Resonance. The Brink-Axel hypothesis is commonly assumed in astrophysical reaction network calculations and states that the gamma strength function in nuclei is independent of the structure of initial and final state. The present results validiate the Brink-Axel hypothesis for 96Mo and provide independent confirmation of the methods used to separate gamma strength function and level density in $\gamma$ decay experiments., Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures

Gamma strength functions (GSFs) and level densities (LDs) are essential ingredients of statistical nuclear reaction theory with many applications in astrophysics, reactor design, and waste transmutation. The aim of the present work is a test of systematic parametrizations of the GSF recommended by the RIPL-3 data base for the case of $^{208}$Pb. The upward GSF and LD in $^{208}$Pb are compared to gamma decay data from an Oslo-type experiment to examine the validity of the Brink-Axel (BA) hypothesis. The E1 and M1 parts of the total GSF are determined from high-resolution forward angle inelastic proton scattering data taken at 295 MeV at RCNP, Osaka, Japan. The total LD in $^{208}$Pb is derived from the $1^-$ LD extracted with a fluctuation analysis in the energy region of the isovector giant dipole resonance. The E1 GSF is compared to parametrizations recommended by the RIPL-3 data base showing systematic deficiencies of all models in the energy region around neutron threshold. The new data for the poorly known spinflip M1 resonance call for a substantial revision of the model suggested in RIPL-3. The total GSF derived from the present data is larger in the PDR energy region than the Oslo data but the strong fluctuations due to the low LD resulting from the double shell closure of $^{208}$Pb prevent a conclusion on a possible violation of the BA hypothesis. Using the parameters suggested by RIPL-3 for a description of the LD in $^{208}$Pb with the back-shifted Fermi gas model, remarkable agreement between the two experiments spanning a wide excitation energy range is obtained. Systematic parametrizations of the E1 and M1 GSF parts need to be reconsidered at low excitation energies. The good agreement of LD provides an independent confirmation of the approach underlying the decomposition of GSF and LDs in Oslo-type experiments., Comment: 7 pages, 8 figures

New experimental data on the pd -> 3He pi+ pi- reaction obtained with the COSY-MOMO detector below the three-pion threshold are presented. The reaction was also studied in inverse kinematics with a deuteron beam and the higher counting rates achieved were especially important at low excess energies. The comparison of these data with inclusive pd -> 3He+X rates allowed estimates also to be made of pi0 pi0 production. The results confirm our earlier findings that close to threshold there is no enhancement at low excitation energies in the pi+ pi- system, where the data seem largely suppressed compared to phase space. Possible explanations for this behavior, such as strong p- waves in the pi+pi- -system or the influence of two-step processes, are explored.

Background: Type II shell evolution has recently been identified as a microscopic cause for nuclear shape coexistence. Purpose: Establish a low-lying rotational band in 96-Zr. Methods: High-resolution inelastic electron scattering and a relative analysis of transition strengths are used. Results: The B(E2; 0_1^+ -> 2_2^+) value is measured and electromagnetic decay strengths of the secdond 2^+ state are deduced. Conclusions: Shape coexistence is established for 96-Zr. Type II shell evolution provides a systematic and quantitative mechanism to understand deformation at low excitation energies., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures

Empirical formulas for the second inverse moment of the photoabsorption cross sections in nuclei are discussed in J. N. Orce, Phys. Rev. C 91, 064602 (2015). In this Comment I point out that the experimental values used are systematically too small in heavy nuclei by about 10% because of the neglection of the E1 strength below the neutron threshold. Furthermore, combining recently deduced values of the polarizability in heavy and total photoabsorption data in light nuclei it is demonstrated that the mass number dependence of \sigma_(-2) is sensitive to the ratio of volume and surface coefficients of the symmetry energy and parameters different to the ones chosen by Orce may be better suited., Comment: 3 pages, 1 figure

The electric dipole strength distribution in 120Sn between 5 and 22 MeV has been determined at RCNP Osaka from a polarization transfer analysis of proton inelastic scattering at E_0 = 295 MeV and forward angles including 0{\deg}. Combined with photoabsorption data an electric dipole polarizability \alpha_D(120Sn) = 8.93(36) fm^3 is extracted. The dipole polarizability as isovector observable par excellence carries direct information on the nuclear symmetry energy and its density dependence. The correlation of the new value with the well established \alpha_D(208Pb) serves as a test of its prediction by nuclear energy density functionals (EDFs). Models based on modern Skyrme interactions describe the data fairly well while most calculations based on relativistic Hamiltonians cannot., Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures

The electric dipole strength in 120Sn has been extracted from proton inelastic scattering experiments at E_p = 295 MeV and at forward angles including 0 degree. Below neutron threshoild it differs from the results of a 120Sn(gamma,gamma') experiment and peaks at an excitation energy of 8.3 MeV. The total strength corresponds to 2.3(2)% of the energy-weighted sum rule and is more than three times larger than what is observed with the (gamma,gamma') reaction. This implies a strong fragmentation of the E1 strength and/or small ground state branching ratios of the excited 1- states., Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures

A set of high resolution zero-degree inelastic proton scattering data on 24Mg, 28Si, 32S, and 40Ca provides new insight into the long-standing puzzle of the origin of fragmentation of the Giant Dipole Resonance (GDR) in sd-shell nuclei. Understanding is provided by state-of-the-art theoretical Random Phase Approximation (RPA) calculatios for deformed nuclei using for the first time a realistic nucleon-nucleon interaction derived from the Argonne V18 potential with the unitary correlation operator method and supplemented by a phenomenological three-nucleon contact interaction. A wavelet analysis allows to extract significant scales both in the data and calculations characterizing the fine structure of the GDR. The fair agreement supports that the fine structure arises from ground-state deformation driven by alpha clustering., Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures

The 112,120Sn(gamma,gamma') reactions below the neutron separation energies have been studied at the superconducting Darmstadt electron linear accelerator S-DALINAC for different endpoint energies of the incident bremsstrahlung spectrum. Dipole strength distributions are extracted for 112Sn up to 9.5 MeV and for 120Sn up to 9.1 MeV. A concentration of dipole excitations is observed between 5 and 8 MeV in both nuclei. Missing strength due to unobserved decays to excited states is estimated in a statistical model. A fluctuation analysis is applied to the photon scattering spectra to extract the amount of the unresolved strength hidden in background due to fragmentation. The strength distributions are discussed within different model approaches such as the quasiparticle-phonon model and the relativistic time blocking approximation allowing for an inclusion of complex configurations beyond the initial particle-hole states. While a satisfactory description of the fragmentation can be achieved for sufficently large model spaces, the predicted centroids and total electric dipole strengths for stable tin isotopes strongly depend on the assumptions about the underlying mean field., Comment: 14 pages, 12 figures, revised version, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. C

The IVGDR in 208Pb has been measured with high energy resolution with the (p,p') reaction under extreme forward angles and shows considerable fine structure. Characteristic scales are extracted from the spectra with a wavelet analysis based on continuous wavelet transforms. Comparison with corresponding analyses of B(E1) strength distributions from microscopic model calculations in the framework of the QPM and relativistic RPA allow to identify giant resonance decay mechanisms responsible for the fine structure. The level density of 1- states can be related to local fluctuations of the cross sections in the energy region of the IVGDR. The magnitude of the fluctuations is determined by the autocorrelation function. Scales in the fine structure of the IVGDR in 208Pb are found at 80, 130, 220, 430, 640, 960 keV, and at 1.75 MeV. The values of the most prominent scales can be reasonably well reproduced by the microscopic calculations although they generally yield a smaller number of scales. In both models the major scales are already present at the one-particle one-hole level indicating Landau damping as a dominant mechanism responsible for the fine structure of the IVGDR in contrast to the isoscalar giant quadrupole resonance, where fine structure arises from the coupling to low-lying surface vibrations. The inclusion of complex configurations in the calculations changes the E1 strength distributions but the impact on the wavelet power spectra and characteristic scales is limited. The level density of 1- states is extracted in the excitation energy range 9-12.5 MeV and compared to a variety of phenomenological and microscopic models. The back-shifted Fermi gas model parameterization of Rauscher et al., Phys. Rev. C 56, 1613 (1997) describes the level-density data well, while other phenomeological and microscopic approaches fail to reproduce absolute values or the energy dependence or both., Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures, Phys. Rev. C (in press)

Background: The B(E2) transition strength to the 2+_2 state in 94Zr was initially reported to be larger by a factor of 1.63 than the one to the 2+_1 state from lifetime measurements with the Doppler-shift attenuation method (DSAM) using the (n,n'gamma) reaction [E. Elhami et al., Phys. Rev. C 75, 011301(R) (2007)]. This surprising behavior was recently revised in a new measurement by the same group using the same experimental technique leading to a ratio below unity as expected in vibrational nuclei. Purpose: The goal is an independent determination of the ratio of B(E2) strengths for the transitions to the 2+_(1,2) states of 94Zr with inelastic electron scattering. Method: The relative population of the 2+_(1,2) states in (e,e') reactions was measured at the SDALINAC in a momentum transfer range q = 0.17 - 0.51 fm^(-1) and analyzed in plane-wave Born approximation with the method described in A. Scheikh Obeid et al., Phys. Rev. C 87, 014337 (2013). Results: The extracted B(E2) strength ratio of 0.789(43) between the excitation of the 2+_1 and 2+_2 states of 94Zr is consistent with but more precise than the latest (n,n'gamma) experiment. Using the B(E2) transition strength to the first excited state from the literature a value of 3.9(9) W.u. is deduced for the B(E2; 2+_2 -> 0+_1) transition. Conclusions: The electron scattering result independently confirms the latest interpretation of the different (n,n'gamma) results for the transition to the 2+_2 state in 94Zr., Comment: 3 pages, 2 figures, submitted as Brief Report to Phys. Rev. C