Decay studies of nuclei near the proton drip line: /sup 35/Ca, /sup 31/Ar, /sup 69/Br, /sup 65/As

Abstract

Studies of new beta-delayed two-proton emitters and a search for ground state proton radioactivity in medium mass nuclei were performed using various experimental techniques in conjunction with several detection systems. A helium-jet transport system and three-element silicon telescopes were used to discover the existence and detect the decay of the first T/sub Z/ = /minus/5/2 nuclide, /sup 35/Ca. Two-proton emission from the T = 5/2 isobaric analog state in /sup 35/K at an excitation energy of 9.053 /plus minus/ 0.045 MeV, fed by the superallowed beta decay of /sup 35/Ca, resulted in transitions to both the ground state and first excited state of /sup 33/Cl. The corresponding two-proton sum energies were 4.089 /plus minus/ 0.030 MeV and 3.287 /plus minus/ 0.030 MeV. Measurements of the individual proton energies indicated the prevalence of a sequential decay mechanism. Using the isobaric multiplet mass equation, the mass excess of /sup 35/Ca was calculated to be 4.453 /plus minus/ 0.060 MeV. In order to study whose half-lives were too short for the helium-jet system, an in-beam recoil catcher wheel was constructed. The wheel speed can be varied to study nuclides whose half-lives range from 100 /mu/s to /approximately/250 ms. The first new decay observed with the wheel system and traditional /Delta/E-E telescopes was the beta-delayed two-proton emission from /sup 31/Ar. The two-proton sum energy of /approximately/7.5 MeV corresponds to a transition from the isobaric analog state in /sup 31/Cl to the ground state of /sup 29/P. The search for proton radioactivity required the development of low energy, particle identification detector telescopes. These telescopes, comprised of a gas /Delta/E and silicon E, were used in conjunction with the in-beam recoil catcher wheel to search for ground state proton emission from /sup 69/Br and /sup 65/As. 90 refs., 24 figs., 8 tabs.