Bulk properties of iron isotopes

Abstract

Nuclear level densities and radiative strength functions (RSFs) in 56Fe and 57Fe were measured using the 57Fe(3He, αγ) and 57Fe(3He, 3He′γ) reactions, respectively, at the Oslo Cyclotron Laboratory. A low-energy enhancement in the RSF below 4-MeV energy was observed. This finding cannot be explained by common theoretical models. In a second experiment, two-step cascade intensities with soft primary transitions from the 56Fe(n, 2γ) reaction were measured. The agreement between the two experiments confirms the low-energy enhancement in the RSFs. In a third experiment, the neutron evaporation spectrum from the 55Mn(d, n)56Fe reaction was measured at 7-MeV deuteron energy at the John Edwards Accelerator Laboratory at Ohio University. Comparison of the level density of 56Fe obtained from the first and third experiments gives an overall good agreement. Furthermore, observed enhancement for soft γ rays is strengthened by the last experiment.