Photoexcitation of magnetic and electric dipole transitions in heavy nuclei

Abstract

Systematic nuclear resonance fluorescence (NRF) experiments have been performed at the bremsstrahlung facility of the 4 MV Stuttgart Dynamitron to investigate the distributions of magnetic and electric dipole excitations in heavy nuclei. Precise excitation energies, transition strengths, spins and decay branching ratios were deduced for numerous low lying dipole excitations in heavy spherical and deformed nuclei. Measurements of the linear polarization of resonantly scattered photons using a Compton polarimeter enabled model independent parity assignments. Recent results are presented concerning: the systematics and fragmentation of the M1 “ Scissors Mode” in even-even Rare Earth nuclei, the existence of the “ Scissors Mode” in odd deformed nuclei, 2 + ⊗ 3 − two-phonon E1 excitations in N=82 isotones and Z=50 isotopes, 2 + ⊗ 3 − ⊗ particle multiplets in odd nuclei around N=82, low lying ΔK=0 electric dipole excitations in deformed nuclei, and E1 excitations around 2.6 MeV in deformed nuclei, which are interpreted as candidates for novel two-phonon excitations (coupling of the K=1 octupole and K=2, γ-vibrations).