The deformed 0+ state in 34Si

Abstract

The energy of the lowest deformed 2-particle 2-hole (2p2h) 0+ state in even-even N = 20 nuclei is a key observable directly related to the size of the neutron N = 20 shell closure. 34Si, with 14 protons and 20 neutrons, lies at the boundary of the "island of inversion", where the deformed 2p2h 0+ state is the ground state in even-A nuclei. In 34Si, the 2p2h 0+ state is expected to be particularly low lying - in some theories it is even predicted to lie below the first 2+ state. While there have been a number of attempts, using various techniques, no experiment to date has been able to firmly locate the 34Si 2p2h 0+ state although a number of candidates have been suggested. Here we present, for the first time, data obtained from a fusion-evaporation reaction 18O(18O, 2p) to produce 34Si. Gammasphere and Microball were used to detect γ-γ coincidences and charged particles (two protons), respectively. The increased sensitivity of this experiment using γ-γ coincidences and a high charged-particle detection efficiency helped to exclude previously reported candidates and provided a stringent limit on the anticipated γ decay from the first 2+ state to the 2p2h 0+ state.