Fine structure of the pygmy quadrupole resonance in 112,114Sn

Abstract

The electric quadrupole response in 112,114Sn isotopes is investigated by energy-density functional (EDF) and three-phonon quasiparticle-phonon model (QPM) theory with special emphasis on electric quadrupole excitations located above the first collective 2+ state and below 5 MeV. Additional quadrupole strength clustering as a sequence of states similar to the recently observed pygmy quadrupole resonance in 124Sn is found. The spectral distributions and transition densities of these 2+ states show special features being compatible with oscillations of a neutron skin against the isospin-symmetric nuclear core. Furthermore, two (p, p′γ) Doppler-shift attenuation (DSA) coincidence experiments were performed at the SONIC@HORUS setup. 2+ states with excitation energies up to 4.2 MeV were populated in 112,114Sn. Lifetimes and branching ratios were measured allowing for the determination of E2 transition strengths to the ground state. A stringent comparison of the new data to EDF+QPM theory in 112Sn and 114Sn isotopes hints at the occurrence of a low-energy quadrupole mode of unique character which could be interpreted as pygmy quadrupole resonance.