Knockout Reactions Research Articles

Quenching of neutron spectroscopic factors of radioactive carbon isotopes with knockout reactions within a wide energy range**Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (1275018, U1432247) and National Key Research and Development Program (2016YFA0400502)

The quenching factors of one-neutron spectroscopic factors, which are ratios of theoretical to experimental one-neutron removal cross sections, are studied for the carbon isotopes 15−19C, with 12C and 9Be targets within incident energies from around 50 to 900 MeV/nucleon. The resulting values of quenching factors do not show strong energy dependence within such an energy range. The average values of the these quenching factors agree well with the systematics in [J.A. Tostevin and A. Gade, Phys. Rev. C, 90 057602 (2014)], which was established for a large set of radioactive nuclei with different masses below 305 MeV/nucleon.

Lifetime measurement of neutron-rich even-even molybdenum isotopes

Background: In the neutron-rich $A\ensuremath{\approx}100$ mass region, rapid shape changes as a function of nucleon number as well as coexistence of prolate, oblate, and triaxial shapes are predicted by various theoretical models. Lifetime measurements of excited levels in the molybdenum isotopes allow the determination of transitional quadrupole moments, which in turn provides structural information regarding the predicted shape change.Purpose: The present paper reports on the experimental setup, the method that allowed one to measure the lifetimes of excited states in even-even molybdenum isotopes from mass $A=100$ up to mass $A=108$, and the results that were obtained.Method: The isotopes of interest were populated by secondary knock-out reaction of neutron-rich nuclei separated and identified by the GSI fragment separator at relativistic beam energies and detected by the sensitive PreSPEC-AGATA experimental setup. The latter included the Lund-York-Cologne calorimeter for identification, tracking, and velocity measurement of ejectiles, and AGATA, an array of position sensitive segmented HPGe detectors, used to determine the interaction positions of the $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ ray enabling a precise Doppler correction. The lifetimes were determined with a relativistic version of the Doppler-shift-attenuation method using the systematic shift of the energy after Doppler correction of a $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray transition with a known energy. This relativistic Doppler-shift-attenuation method allowed the determination of mean lifetimes from 2 to 250 ps.Results: Even-even molybdenum isotopes from mass $A=100$ to $A=108$ were studied. The decays of the low-lying states in the ground-state band were observed. In particular, two mean lifetimes were measured for the first time: $\ensuremath{\tau}=29.{7}_{\ensuremath{-}9.1}^{+11.3}$ ps for the ${4}^{+}$ state of $^{108}\mathrm{Mo}$ and $\ensuremath{\tau}=3.{2}_{\ensuremath{-}0.7}^{+0.7}$ ps for the ${6}^{+}$ state of $^{102}\mathrm{Mo}$.Conclusions: The reduced transition strengths $B(E2)$, calculated from lifetimes measured in this experiment, compared to beyond-mean-field calculations, indicate a gradual shape transition in the chain of molybdenum isotopes when going from $A=100$ to $A=108$ with a maximum reached at $N=64$. The transition probabilities decrease for $^{108}\mathrm{Mo}$ which may be related to its well-pronounced triaxial shape indicated by the calculations.

Intruder configurations in the ground state of 30Ne

We report on the first detailed study of intruder configurations in the ground state of 30Ne by means of the 12C(30Ne,29Ne+γ)X one-neutron knockout reaction at 228 MeV/nucleon. Using a combined analysis of individual parallel momentum distributions and partial cross sections we find: (a) comparable p- and d-wave removal strength to 29Ne final states with excitation energies below 200 keV, and (b) significant p-wave removal strength to the 620 keV state of 29Ne, and (c) no evidence for f-wave intruder strength leading to bound 29Ne final states. The SDPF-U-MIX shell model calculation in the sd-pf model space provides a better overall agreement with the measured energy levels of 29Ne and the fp-intruder amplitudes in 30Ne than the SDPF-M prediction, suggesting that the refinement of the sd-pf cross shell interaction and extension of the model space to include the 2p1/2 and 1f5/2 levels are important for understanding the island of inversion.

Search for 12 C + 12 C clustering in 24 M g ground state

In the backdrop of many models, the heavy cluster structure of the ground state of 24Mg has been probed experimentally for the first time using the heavy cluster knockout reaction 24Mg(12C,212C)12C in the quasifree scattering kinematic domain. In the (12C,212C) reaction, the direct 12C-knockout cross-section was found to be very small. Finite-range knockout theory predictions were much larger for (12C,212C) reaction, indicating a very small 12C−12C clustering in 24Mg(g.s.). Our present results contradict most of the proposed heavy cluster (12C+12C) structure models for the ground state of 24Mg.

On the discrepancy between proton and α-inducedd-cluster knockout on16O

The deuteron knockout reactions, 16O(p,pd)14N* and 16O(α,αd)14N* have been analyzed using finite range–distorted wave impulse approximation (FR-DWIA) formalism. Using an attractive p−d interaction, the FR-DWIA calculations reproduce the experimental shape as well as the absolute magnitude of the (p,pd) energy sharing cross-section distribution. On the other hand, using the attractive α−d interaction, the FR-DWIA calculations do not reproduce the shape as well as the magnitudes of the observed (α,αd) energy sharing cross-section distributions. Introduction of a 1.5 fm repulsive core in the α−d knockout vertex interaction reproduces the shape as well as the magnitude of the observed distribution around and beyond the peak region. The distribution before the peak region in the (α,αd) reaction FR-DWIA analysis requires abnormal energy-dependent α−14N repulsive and absorbing optical potentials. The origin of this abnormal α−14N optical potential is found.

Neutron single-particle strengths at N=40 , 42: Neutron knockout from Ni68,70 ground and isomeric states

The distribution of single-particle strength in 67,69Ni was characterized with one-neutron knockout reactions from intermediate-energy 68,70Ni secondary beams, selectively populating neutron-hole configurations at N = 39 and 41, respectively. The spectroscopic strengths deduced from the measured partial cross sections to the individual final states, as tagged by their γ-ray decays, are used to identify and quantify neutron configurations in the wave functions. While 69Ni compares well to shell-model predictions, the results for 67Ni challenge the validity of current effective shell-model Hamiltonians by revealing discrepancies that cannot be explained so far. These results suggest that our understanding of the low-lying states in the neutron-rich, semi-magic Ni isotopes may be incomplete and requires further investigation on both the experimental and theoretical sides.

Reaction of Quasielastic Knock-Out of Nucleons From Nuclei by Protons

Abstract . On the basis of non-relativistic theory in the distorted-wave approximation in three dimensions, a theory of from nuclei by nucleons of intermediate energies has been developed. On the baizing on this theory the differential cross sections of quasielastic knock-out reactions of protons with shells 1 , 1 in the nucleus and have been calculated, which allows to determine the orbital momentum of the nucleons in the nucleus before scattering by the angular distribution of emitted protons. Keywords: Reaction A (p, 2p)B, distorted-wave approximation, and nuclei.

Determination of a dineutron correlation in Borromean nuclei via a quasi-free knockout (p,pn) reaction

To discuss the dineutron correlation in the ground state, the quasi-free neutron knockout reaction on $^6$He is investigated.In the present work, the momentum distribution of the two emitted neutrons is calculated with the $\alpha$~+~$n$~+~$n$ three-body model and a simple reaction model to assess the effects of the knockout process via the $^5$He resonance and the target dependence in the momentum distribution. A clear signature of the dineutron correlation can be obtained by choosing the kinematical condition so the process via the $^5$He resonance is excluded because the $^5$He resonance drastically changes the momentum distribution. Using the proton target is important in the quantitative discussion on the dineutron correlation by the knockout reaction. In addition to theoretical arguments, a possible experimental setup to determine the dineutron correlation via the quasi-free knockout reaction is considered.

Imaginary part of theC9−Be9single-folded optical potential

In a recent publication we have argued that using two very successful $n\text{\ensuremath{-}}^{9}\mathrm{Be}$ optical potentials [A. Bonaccorso and R. J. Charity, Phys. Rev. C 89, 024619 (2014)] and microscopic projectile densities, it is possible to build a single-folded (light-) nucleus-$^{9}\mathrm{Be}$ imaginary optical potential which is more accurate than a double-folded optical potential. By comparing to experimental reaction cross sections, we showed for $^{8}\mathrm{B},\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}^{8}\mathrm{Li}$, and $^{8}\mathrm{C}$ projectiles, that a very good agreement between theory and data could be obtained with such a ``bare'' potential, at all but the lowest energies where a small semimicroscopic surface term was added to the single-folded potential to take into account projectile breakup. In this paper we extend this study to the case of $^{9}\mathrm{C}$ projectiles and assess the sensitivity to the projectile density used. We then obtained the modulus of the nucleus-nucleus $S$ matrix and parametrize it in terms of a strong-absorption radius ${R}_{s}$ and finally extracted the phenomenological energy dependence of this radius. This approach could be the basis for a systematic study of optical potentials for light exotic nuclei scattering on light targets and/or parametrizations of the $S$ matrix. Furthermore our study will serve to make a quantitative assessment of the description of the core-target part of knockout reactions, in particular their localization in terms of impact parameters.

Isospin Symmetry at High Spin Studied via Nucleon Knockout from Isomeric States

One-neutron knockout reactions have been performed on a beam of radioactive ^{53}Co in a high-spin isomeric state. The analysis is shown to yield a highly selective population of high-spin states in an exotic nucleus with a significant cross section, and hence represents a technique that is applicable to the planned new generation of fragmentation-based radioactive beam facilities. Additionally, the relative cross sections among the excited states can be predicted to a high level of accuracy when reliable shell-model input is available. The work has resulted in a new level scheme, up to the 11^{+} band-termination state, of the proton-rich nucleus ^{52}Co (Z=27, N=25). This has in turn enabled a study of mirror energy differences in the A=52 odd-odd mirror nuclei, interpreted in terms of isospin-nonconserving (INC) forces in nuclei. The analysis demonstrates the importance of using a full set of J-dependent INC terms to explain the experimental observations.

The knockout reaction of 15C on a 9Be target at intermediate energies

In this work, neutron knockout reactions of 15C on a 9Be target at energy 103 and 250 MeV/nucleon are studied. Using the Eikonal approximation of the Glauber model, total neutron removal cross sections, the stripping and diffractive cross sections as well as 14C longitudinal momentum distributions are determined in both 15C ground state and exited states of the wave function. We compared the results of our calculations with the available experimental data obtained recently. The calculated cross sections of 15C and 14C reactions, as well as the momentum distribution are in relatively good agreement with available data.

Experimental study of the knockout reaction mechanism usingO14at 60 MeV/nucleon

Background: For the deeply bound one-nucleon removal at intermediate energies using a Be9 or C12 target, a strong reduction of cross section was observed relative to the prediction of eikonal theoretical model. The large disagreement has not been explained and the systematic trend is inconsistent with results from transfer reactions. The recently observed asymmetric parallel momentum distribution of the knockout residue indicates the significant dissipative core-target interaction in the knockout reaction with a composite target, implying new reaction mechanisms beyond the eikonal reaction descriptions. Purpose: To investigate the reaction mechanism for deeply bound nucleon removal at intermediate energies. Method: Neutron removal from O14 using a C12 target at 60 MeV/nucleon was performed. Nucleon knockout cross sections were measured. The unbound excited states of O13 were reconstructed by using the invariant mass method with the residues and the associated decay protons measured in coincidence. The measured cross sections are compared with an intra-nuclear cascade (INC) prediction. Results: The measured cross section of (O14, C11) is 60(9) mb, which is 3.5 times larger than that of (O14, O13) channel. This 2pn-removal cross section is consistent with INC prediction, which is 66 mb with the main contribution being non-direct reaction processes. On the other hand, the upper limit of the cross section for one-neutron removal from O14 followed by proton evaporation is 4.6(20) mb, integrated up to 6 MeV above the proton separation energy of O13. The calculated total cross section for such reaction processes by the INC model is 2.5 mb, which is within the measured upper limit. Conclusions: The data provide the first constraint on the role of core excitation and evaporation processes in deeply bound nucleon removal from asymmetric nuclei. The experiment results suggest that non-direct reaction processes, which are not considered in the eikonal model, play an important role in deeply bound nucleon removal from asymmetric nuclei at intermediate energies.Received 12 January 2016DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.93.044607©2016 American Physical SocietyPhysics Subject Headings (PhySH)Research AreasLow & intermediate energy heavy-ion reactionsNuclear reactionsTransfer reactionsProperties6 ≤ A ≤ 19Nuclear Physics

Exploring Nuclear Dynamics with (e, e′p) Reactions: From LNF to JLab

Proton knockout reactions, in which the scattered beam particle and the outgoing nucleon are detected in coincidence, proved to be a very powerful tool for studying the properties of bound nucleons. The first generation of (e, e′p) data—collected over more than thirty years, starting in the early 1960s—have greatly contributed to establish the validity of the nuclear shell model, showing at the same time its limitations. More recent measurements, made possible by the availability of continuous electron beams of higher energy, have unambiguously demonstrated the occurrence of significant effects of nucleon-nucleon correlations, thus providing new insight into the nature of short-range nuclear dynamics.

Spectroscopy ofP35using the one-proton knockout reaction

The structure of $^{35}$P was studied with a one-proton knockout reaction at88~MeV/u from a $^{36}$S projectile beam at NSCL. The $\gamma$ rays from thedepopulation of excited states in $^{35}$P were detected with GRETINA, whilethe $^{35}$P nuclei were identified event-by-event in the focal plane of theS800 spectrograph. The level scheme of $^{35}$P was deduced up to 7.5 MeV using$\gamma-\gamma$ coincidences. The observed levels were attributed to protonremovals from the $sd$-shell and also from the deeply-bound $p\_{1/2}$ orbital.The orbital angular momentum of each state was derived from the comparisonbetween experimental and calculated shapes of individual ($\gamma$-gated)parallel momentum distributions. Despite the use of different reactions andtheir associate models, spectroscopic factors, $C^2S$, derived from the$^{36}$S $(-1p)$ knockout reaction agree with those obtained earlier from$^{36}$S($d$,\nuc{3}{He}) transfer, if a reduction factor $R\_s$, as deducedfrom inclusive one-nucleon removal cross sections, is applied to the knockout transitions.In addition to the expected proton-hole configurations, other states were observedwith individual cross sections of the order of 0.5~mb. Based on their shiftedparallel momentum distributions, their decay modes to negative parity states,their high excitation energy (around 4.7~MeV) and the fact that they were notobserved in the ($d$,\nuc{3}{He}) reaction, we propose that they may resultfrom a two-step mechanism or a nucleon-exchange reaction with subsequent neutronevaporation. Regardless of the mechanism, that could not yet be clarified, thesestates likely correspond to neutron core excitations in \nuc{35}{P}. Thisnewly-identified pathway, although weak, offers the possibility to selectivelypopulate certain intruder configurations that are otherwise hard to produceand identify.

Direct Lifetime Measurements of the Excited States in (72)Ni.

The lifetimes of the first excited 2^{+} and 4^{+} states in ^{72}Ni were measured at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory with the recoil-distance Doppler-shift method, a model-independent probe to obtain the reduced transition probability. Excited states in ^{72}Ni were populated by the one-proton knockout reaction of an intermediate energy ^{73}Cu beam. γ-ray-recoil coincidences were detected with the γ-ray tracking array GRETINA and the S800 spectrograph. Our results provide evidence of enhanced transition probability B(E2;2^{+}→0^{+}) as compared to ^{68}Ni, but do not confirm the trend of large B(E2) values reported in the neighboring isotope ^{70}Ni obtained from Coulomb excitation measurement. The results are compared to shell model calculations. The lifetime obtained for the excited 4_{1}^{+} state is consistent with models showing decay of a seniority ν=4, 4^{+} state, which is consistent with the disappearance of the 8^{+} isomer in ^{72}Ni.

Final-state interactions in two-nucleon knockout reactions

Background: Exclusive two-nucleon knockout after electroexcitation of nuclei ($A(e,e'NN)$ in brief) is considered to be a primary source of information about short-range correlations (SRC) in nuclei. For a proper interpretation of the data, final-state interactions (FSI) need to be theoretically controlled. Purpose: Our goal is to quantify the role of FSI effects in exclusive $A(e,e'pN)$ reactions for four target nuclei representative for the whole mass region. Our focus is on processes that are SRC driven. We investigate the role of FSI for two characteristic detector setups corresponding with a "small" and "large" coverage of the available phase space. Results: The transparency $T^{pN}_{A}$, defined as the ratio of exclusive $(e,e'pN)$ cross sections on nuclei to those on "free" nucleon pairs, drops from $ 0.2-0.3 $ for $^{12}$C to $0.04-0.07$ for $^{208}$Pb. For all considered kinematics, the mass dependence of the $T^{pN}_{A}$ can be captured by the power law $T^{pN}_{A} \propto A^{- \lambda}$ with $ 0.4 \lesssim \lambda \lesssim 0.5 $. Apart from an overall reduction factor, we find that FSI only modestly affects the distinct features of SRC-driven $A(e,e'pN)$ which are dictated by the c.m. distribution of close-proximity pairs. Conclusion: The SCX mechanisms represent a relatively small (order of a few percent) contribution of SRC-driven $A(e,e'pN)$ processes. The mass dependence of FSI effects in exclusive $A(e,e'pN)$ can be captured in a robust power law and is in agreement with the predictions obtained in a toy model.

Investigating nuclear shell structure in the vicinity ofNi78: Low-lying excited states in the neutron-rich isotopesZn80,82

The low-lying level structures of nuclei in the vicinity of $^{78}\mathrm{Ni}$ were investigated using in-beam $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray spectroscopy to clarify the nature of the nuclear magic numbers $Z=28$ and $N=50$ in systems close to the neutron drip line. Nucleon knockout reactions were employed to populate excited states in $^{80}\mathrm{Zn}$ and $^{82}\mathrm{Zn}$. A candidate for the ${4}_{1}^{+}$ level in $^{80}\mathrm{Zn}$ was identified at 1979(30) keV, and the lifetime of this state was estimated to be ${136}_{\ensuremath{-}67}^{+92}$ ps from a line-shape analysis. Moreover, the energy of the ${2}_{1}^{+}$ state in $^{82}\mathrm{Zn}$ is reported to lie at 621(11) keV. The large drop in the ${2}_{1}^{+}$ energy at $^{82}\mathrm{Zn}$ indicates the presence of a significant peak in the $E({2}_{1}^{+})$ systematics at $N=50$. Furthermore, the $E({4}_{1}^{+})/E({2}_{1}^{+})$ and $B(E2;{4}_{1}^{+}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{2}_{1}^{+})/B(E2;{2}_{1}^{+}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{0}_{\mathrm{g}.\mathrm{s}.}^{+})$ ratios in $^{80}\mathrm{Zn}$ were deduced to be $1.32(3)$ and $1.{12}_{\ensuremath{-}60}^{+80}$, respectively. These results imply that $^{80}\mathrm{Zn}$ can be described in terms of two-proton configurations with a $^{78}\mathrm{Ni}$ core and are consistent with a robust $N=50$ magic number along the Zn isotopic chain. These observations, therefore, indicate a persistent $N=50$ shell closure in nuclei far from the line of $\ensuremath{\beta}$ stability, which in turn suggests a doubly magic structure for $^{78}\mathrm{Ni}$.

Structure ofSn107studied through single-neutron knockout reactions

The neutron-deficient nucleus Sn 107 has been studied by using the one-neutron knockout reaction. By measuring the decay γ rays and momentum distributions of reaction residues, the spins of the ground, 5/2 + , and first-excited, 7/2 + , states of Sn 107 have been assigned by comparisons to eikonal-model reaction calculations. Limits on the inclusive and exclusive cross sections have been measured and transitions due to neutron removals from below the N=50 closed shell have been observed. New excited states up to 5.5 MeV in Sn 107 have been identified.

Study of the 12C (8B, 7Be)X knockout reaction at intermediate energies

The breakup reactions of 8B on a 12C target at 142, 285, 790, and 936MeV/nucleon have been studied. One-proton-removal cross sections, leading to the production of 7Be fragments in the ground and first excited states (at 0.429MeV), and the longitudinal momentum distributions of the 7Be fragments are obtained in the Eikonal approximation of the Glauber Model. The results of the calculations including the contribution of the 7Be to the ground and first excited states of 8B are compared with the available experimental data. One-proton-removal cross section for the 12C(8B, 7Be)X knockout reaction at 142, 285, 790, and 936 MeV/nucleon energy has been calculated. 8B and 7Be cross sections and momentum distribution are in a good agreement with available data.

Transfer to the continuum calculations of quasifree (p,pn) and (p,2p) reactions

Nucleon removal ( p, pn ) and ( p, 2 p ) reactions at intermediate energies have gained renewed attention in recent years as a tool to extract information from exotic nuclei. The information obtained from these experiments is expected to be sensitive to deeper portions of the wave function of the removed nucleon than knockout reactions with heavier targets. In this contribution, we present calculations for ( p, 2 p ) and ( p, pn ) reactions performed within the so-called transfer to the continuum method (TR*). Results for stable and unstable nuclei are presented, and compared with experimental data, when available.