Narrow α + 28Si elastic-scattering states at high excitation in 32S

Abstract

The excitation function and angular distributions of elastic α-particle scattering on 28Si have been measured in the laboratory energy range 6-28 MeV using a backscattering technique on a thick target, yielding a continuous energy distribution. More than 200 narrow states are observed, with widths in the range ∼ 30-100 keV at excitation energies E* = 13-32 MeV. Angular distributions at backward angles were measured, and angular momentum values of more than 83 states have been deduced. The analysis gives spin-parities Jπ, α-partial widths Γα and reduced widths of the narrow high-lying resonant states in 32S. The experimentally observed states display both the negative- and the positive-parity rotational-like sequences with seemingly no parity splitting, a finding which is at variance with most potential-model predictions. The deduced effective moment of inertia indicates a more extended structure than the ground-state configuration. The observed strength of each l-value is analyzed in terms of an underlying split doorway state of Lorentzian form, which yields an interpretation as fragmented rotational α + 28Si states.