Ba145 β− decay: Excited states and half-lives in neutron-rich La145

Abstract

Background: Neutron-rich nuclei in the $\mathrm{A}\ensuremath{\approx}140--160$ mass region provide valuable information on nuclear structure such as quadrupole- and octupole-shape coexistence and the evolution of the collectivity. These nuclei have also a nuclear engineering interest because they contribute to the total decay heat after a fission burst. The information concerning $^{145}\mathrm{La}$ is very limited.Purpose: The study of low-spin states in $^{145}\mathrm{La}$ will provide a more detailed level scheme and enable the determination of the half-lives of the excited states.Methods: Low-spin excited states in $^{145}\mathrm{La}$ have been investigated from the $^{145}\mathrm{Ba}\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}{\ensuremath{\beta}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ decay. The $^{145}\mathrm{Ba}$ nuclei were directly produced by photofission in the ALTO facility or obtained from the ${\ensuremath{\beta}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ decay of $^{145}\mathrm{Cs}$ also produced by photofission. Gamma spectroscopy and fast-timing techniques were used.Results: A new level scheme was proposed including 67 excited levels up to about 3 MeV and 164 transitions. Half-lives in the few-nanosecond range were measured for the first excited states. Configurations for levels up to $\ensuremath{\approx}600$ keV were discussed.Conclusions: The available information on the low-spin states of $^{145}\mathrm{La}$ has been modified and considerably extended. The analysis of the properties of the first excited states, such as excitation energies, decay modes, log $\mathit{\text{ft}}$ values, reduced transition probabilities, and Weisskopf hindrance factors, has enabled the identification of the first members of the bands corresponding to the ${g}_{7/2},$ ${d}_{5/2},$ and ${h}_{11/2}$ proton configurations.