MeV Excitation Research Articles

Determination of the Radii of States in the 11–14 MeV Excitation Region in the $${}^{9}$$Be Nucleus

Determination of the Radii of States in the 11–14 MeV Excitation Region in the $${}^{9}$$Be Nucleus

Quasiparticle random-phase approximation calculations forM1transitions with the noniterative finite-amplitude method and application to neutron radiative capture cross sections

We derive the equations of quasiparticle random-phase approximation (QRPA) based on the finite amplitude method (FAM) with the Hartree-Fock+BCS (HF+BCS) single-particle states, and calculate the magnetic dipole (M1) transition for deformed gadolinium isotopes. Our QRPA calculation shows both large spin-flip transitions in the 5 to 10 MeV excitation energy and the low energy orbital transition that would correspond to the M1 scissors mode observed in nuclear experiments. Then, we calculate neutron capture reactions based on the statistical Hauser-Feshbach theory with the photoabsorption cross sections given by QRPA. We find that the capture cross section is enhanced due to the contribution from the low energy M1 transition although the calculated capture cross section still underestimates the experimental data. This issue in the calculated capture cross section could be improved by uncertainties of low energy E1 transition neglected in our QRPA calculation.

Nuclear Excitation by Free Muon Capture

Efficient excitation of nuclei via exchange of a real or virtual photon has a fundamental importance for nuclear science and technology development. Here, we present a mechanism of nuclear excitation based on the capture of a free muon into the atomic orbits (NEμC). The cross section of such a proposed process is evaluated using the Feshbach projection operator formalism and compared to other known excitation phenomena, i.e., photoexcitation and nuclear excitation by electron capture (NEEC), showing up to 10 orders of magnitude increase in cross section. NEμC is particularly interesting for MeV excitations that become accessible thanks to the stronger binding of muons to the nucleus. The binding energies of muonic atoms have been calculated introducing a state of the art modification to the Flexible Atomic Code. An analysis of experimental scenarios in the context of modern muon production facilities shows that the effect can be detectable for selected isotopes. The total probability of NEμC is predicted to be P≈1×10^{-6} per incident muon in a beam-based scenario. Given the high transition energy provided by muons, NEμC can have important consequences for isomer feeding and particle-induced fission.

Emergence of an island of extreme nuclear isomerism at high excitation near 208Pb

Metastable states with T1/2 = 8(2) ms in 205Bi and T1/2 = 0.22(2) ms in 204Pb, with ≈ 8 MeV excitation energy and angular momentum ≥ 22 ħ, have been established. These represent, by up to two orders of magnitude, the longest-lived nuclear states above an excitation energy of 7 MeV, ever identified in the nuclear chart. Additionally, the half-life of the 10.17 MeV state in 206Bi has been determined to be 0.027(2) ms, the next highest value in this highly excited regime. These observations indicate the emergence of an island of extreme nuclear isomerism arising from core-excited configurations at high excitation in the vicinity of the doubly closed-shell nucleus 208Pb. These results are expected to provide discriminating tests of the effective interactions used in current large-scale shell-model calculations.

Search for Asymmetric Fission in Mass 200 Region: A Case Study in 197Tl

Asymmetric fission mode in mass 200 region has been looked into by carrying out a systematic study in 197Tl at ~42 MeV excitation energy. The experimental mass distribution reported at this energy does not show any indication of asymmetric fission. However, the semi-empirical Monte-Carlo code GEF predicts a well distinct asymmetric mass split. The present study underlines the importance of N/Z ratio as well as the excitation energy of the fissioning nucleus in determining the onset of asymmetric mass split.

Monte Carlo simulations of nanodosimetry and radiolytic species production for monoenergetic proton and electron beams: Benchmarking of GEANT4-DNA and LPCHEM codes.

In hadrontherapy, biophysical models can be used to predict the biological effect received by cancerous tissues and organs at risk. The input data of these models generally consist of information on nano/micro dosimetric quantities and, concerning some models, reactive species produced in water radiolysis. In order to fully account for the radiation stochastic effects, these input data have to be provided by Monte Carlo track structure (MCTS) codes allowing to estimate physical, physico-chemical, and chemical effects of radiation at the molecular scale. The objective of this study is to benchmark two MCTS codes, Geant4-DNA and LPCHEM, that are useful codes for estimating the biological effects of ions during radiation therapy treatments. In this study we considered the simulation of specific energy spectra for monoenergetic proton beams (10 MeV) as well as radiolysis species production for both electron (1 MeV) and proton (10 MeV) beams with Geant4-DNA and LPCHEM codes. Options 2, 4, and 6 of the Geant4-DNA physics lists have been benchmarked against LPCHEM. We compared probability distributions of energy transfer points in cylindrical nanometric targets (10nm) positioned in a liquid water box. Then, radiochemical species (· OH, , , H2 , and yields simulated between 10-12 and 10-6 s after irradiation are compared. Overall, the specific energy spectra and the chemical yields obtained by the two codes are in good agreement considering the uncertainties on experimental data used to calibrate the parameters of the MCTS codes. For 10 MeV proton beams, ionization and excitation processes are the major contributors to the specific energy deposition (larger than 90%) while attachment, solvation, and vibration processes are minor contributors. LPCHEM simulates tracks with slightly more concentrated energy depositions than Geant4-DNA which translates into slightly faster recombination than Geant4-DNA. Relative deviations (CEV ) with respect to the average of evolution rates of the radical yields between 10-12 and 10-6 s remain below 10%. When comparing execution times between the codes, we showed that LPCHEM is faster than Geant4-DNA by a factor of about four for 1000 primary particles in all simulation stages (physical, physico-chemical, and chemical). In multi-thread mode (four threads), Geant4-DNA computing times are reduced but remain slower than LPCHEM by ∼20% up to ∼50%. For the first time, the entire physical, physico-chemical, and chemical models of two track structure Monte Carlo codes have been benchmarked along with an extensive analysis on the effects on the water radiolysis simulation. This study opens up new perspectives in using specific energy distributions and radiolytic species yields from monoenergetic ions in biophysical models integrated to Monte Carlo software.

Evolution of nuclear structure through isomerism in Fr216

Three new isomers have been identified in the transitional odd-odd $^{216}\mathrm{Fr}$ nucleus. The properties of the $({11}^{+})$ isomer with ${T}_{1/2}$ = 9.6(14) ns are compared with those of the similar isomeric states in neighboring doubly-odd nuclei. The experimental results are compared with predictions of shell-model calculations and a fair agreement is observed between the experimental and calculated excitation energies of the $({11}^{+})$ isomeric state and the states to which it decays. The deviation between the measured and calculated reduced transition probabilities suggests contribution from effects other than the single-particle degrees of freedom in these states. Evidence of two high-spin $[{J}^{\ensuremath{\pi}}>({18}^{+})]$ isomers above 2.2 MeV excitation energy with ${T}_{1/2}=7.8(14)$ and 89(9) ns is also presented. These isomers at high excitation energies reflect a pronounced change in the structure above the previously established level scheme, where moderate quadrupole collectivity and octupole correlations were evident.

Level structure in the transitional nucleus Fr215

The level scheme of $^{215}\mathrm{Fr}$ is extended up to 55/2 $\ensuremath{\hbar}$ and 4.8 MeV excitation energy with the addition of 52 new $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray transitions. Previously established isomers and their half-lives, except for the ${47/2}^{+}$ state, are revisited. The discrepancy in the half-life of the ${39/2}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ state is resolved, and its half-life is revised to 11.4(14) ns. An overall good agreement is observed between the experimental results and the shell-model calculations performed using the CD-Bonn $NN$ interaction derived from the ${V}_{\text{low-}k}$ renormalization approach. A weak coupling of the odd proton to the even-even core is observed to account for the level structure at lower energies, which strongly resembles a decoupled nonrotational band. A new positive-parity sequence is also established which is observed to originate from the coupling of the ${i}_{13/2}$ proton at low excitation energy.

Shape coexistence and octupole correlations in Se72

In the present paper, we report the results from the study of excited states in the $^{72}\mathrm{Se}$ nucleus using the $^{50}\mathrm{Cr}(^{28}\mathrm{Si}, \ensuremath{\alpha}2p)^{72}\mathrm{Se}$ fusion evaporation reaction at a beam energy of 90 MeV. The deexciting $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ rays were detected using the Indian National Gamma Array (INGA). A total of ten new $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray transitions have been identified using the $\ensuremath{\gamma}\text{\ensuremath{-}}\ensuremath{\gamma}$ coincidence technique. The ${K}^{\ensuremath{\pi}}={0}_{2}^{+}$ band based on an isomeric state has been extended up to a (${10}^{+}$) state at 5.473 MeV excitation energy, and four new interconnecting transitions have been placed between this band and yrast band. Further, the enhanced interconnecting $E1$ transitions between positive- and negative-parity bands suggest the existence of octupole correlations in this nucleus. The characteristics of the observed bands in the experiment have been interpreted in terms of the total Routhian surface (TRS) calculations.

Photocatalytic activity of zinc oxide for dye and drug degradation: A review

Photocatalysis has been drawing in an expanding interest due to its many applications. Metal oxides are considered as best photocatalyst due to its remarkable properties, economical and persistent. When metal oxides exposed to light there is an excitation of electrons and formation of holes in valence band hence free radical mechanism initiates. Several metal oxides can act as photocatalyst but zinc oxide has been most generally concentrated because of its capacity to breakdown pollutants into simpler molecules and even accomplish total degradation. Zinc oxide nanoparticles has large band gap that is 3.37 eV and 60 meV excitation binding energy due to this it gains attention in research. In this review paper photocatalytic degradation of zinc oxide has been highlighted. Nanoparticles of ZnO have been investigated as photocatalysts that can be applied for degradation of dyes, drugs and other pollutants. Comparative study of degradation efficiency of different dyes and drugs has been presented here. Maximum degradation efficiency of dyes is 100% and drugs is 98% which have been reported.

Nuclear Data Sheets for A=64

The evaluated experimental data are presented and evaluated for 13 known nuclides of mass 64 (Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Ge, As, Se). For each nuclide, the best values combining all available data are recommended for spectroscopic properties. No excited states have been identified in 64Ti, 64As, and 64Se. Only one excited state in 64V as an isomer, and three in 64Cr have been identified. Data for excited states in 64Mn, 64Fe, and 64Co remain limited. 64Ni, 64Cu, and 64Zn are the most studied nuclides through various reactions and decays, followed by 64Ga and 64Ge. In the opinion of the evaluators, there are several incomplete or discrepant aspects of the high-spin portion of the level scheme for 64Zn above ≈5 MeV excitation which need to be resolved in further experiments using large γ-detector arrays. The decay schemes of 64Ti β−, 64As ε and 64Se ε are unknown, while very little information is available for 64V β− and 64Cr β−. The decay schemes of 64Mn β−, 64Fe β−, 64Co β− and 64Ge ε are somewhat better known, but still considered incomplete by evaluators. The decay scheme of 64Ga ε decay is known in detail, however there is the possibility of additional levels populated above 4713 keV, as the Q(ε) value is 7171 keV. The β−, β+ and ε decay modes of 64Cu are well known, as this radionuclide is of great importance in applications, for example, as a dosimeter for neutron flux determination in nuclear reactors, and as a radiopharmaceutical for positron emission tomography (PET). This work supersedes earlier full evaluations of A=64 by 2007Si04, 1996Si12, 1991Si03, 1979Ha35 and 1974Au04.

Evidence against the Efimov effect in C12 from spectroscopy and astrophysics

Background: The Efimov effect is a universal phenomenon in physics whereby three-body systems are stabilized via the interaction of an unbound two-body sub-systems. A hypothetical state in $^{12}\mathrm{C}$ at 7.458 MeV excitation energy, comprising of a loose structure of three $\alpha$-particles in mutual two-body resonance, has been suggested in the literature to correspond to an Efimov state in nuclear physics. The existence of such a state has not been demonstrated experimentally. Method: Using the combined data sets from two recent experiments, one with the TexAT TPC to measure $\alpha$-decay and the other with Gammasphere to measure $\gamma$-decay of states in $^{12}\mathrm{C}$ populated by $^{12}\mathrm{N}$ and $^{12}\mathrm{B}$ $\beta$-decay respectively, we achieve high sensitivity to states in close-proximity to the $\alpha$-threshold in $^{12}\mathrm{C}$. Results: No evidence of a state at 7.458 MeV is seen in either data set. Using a likelihood method, the 95\% C.L. $\gamma$-decay branching ratio is determined as a function of the $\beta$-decay feeding strength relative to the Hoyle state. In parallel, calculations of the triple-alpha reaction rate show the inclusion of the Efimov corresponds to a large increase in the reaction rate around $5 \times 10^{7}$ K. Conclusion: From decay spectroscopy - at the 95\% C.L., the Efimov state cannot exist at 7.458 MeV with any $\gamma$-decay branching ratio unless the $\beta$-strength is less than 0.7\% of the Hoyle state. This limit is evaluated for a range of different excitation energies and the results are not favorable for existence of the hypothetical Efimov state in $^{12}\mathrm{C}$. Furthermore, the triple-alpha reaction rate with the inclusion of a state between 7.43 and 7.53 MeV exceeds the rate required for stars to undergo the red giant phase.

Neutron transfer studies on Mg25 and its correlation to neutron radiative capture processes

Radiative neutron capture reactions play an important role in nuclear astrophysics. In some cases direct neutron capture reaction studies are not possible and neutron transfer reactions have been suggested as a surrogate approach. We have performed a detailed study of the $^{25}\mathrm{Mg}(d,p)^{26}\mathrm{Mg}$ reaction at a beam energy of 56 MeV as a surrogate reaction to the radiative neutron capture reaction $^{25}\mathrm{Mg}(n,\ensuremath{\gamma})^{26}\mathrm{Mg}$. A large number of neutron bound and unbound states between 10.6 and 12.1 MeV excitation energy in $^{26}\mathrm{Mg}$ were observed. Angular distribution analysis provided information about the orbital momentum transfer populating these levels. The comparison with resonances observed in the $^{25}\mathrm{Mg}(n,\ensuremath{\gamma})^{26}\mathrm{Mg}$ reaction indicate that different levels in $^{26}\mathrm{Mg}$ are being populated through the two reaction mechanisms, causing substantial discrepancies in the reaction-rate prediction. This result demonstrates that neutron transfer reaction studies may not necessarily lead to reliable predictions for neutron capture reaction rates.

Puzzle of collective enhancement in the nuclear level density

The collective rotational enhancement in the nuclear level density (NLD) arising due to nuclear deformation is still not well understood due to sparse experimental findings. To address this issue, angular momentum (J) gated neutron, proton and GDR γ-ray spectra have been measured from two deformed nuclei (169Tm and 185Re) and one near spherical nucleus (201Tl) by populating them around 26 MeV excitation energy. An enhanced yield compared to statistical decay is observed in all the three spectra (p, n, γ) for both the deformed nuclei but only statistical decay for near spherical nucleus. Intriguingly, the relative enhancement factors determined independently from all the spectra are very similar (≈10) for both the deformed nuclei. Moreover, the results indicate that the fadeout of the collective enhancement does not dependent strongly on the nuclear ground state deformation which is in stark contrast to the expectations of the phenomenological as well as microscopic calculations. The possible reasons for this discrepancy are discussed.

Determination of the Zn60 level density from neutron evaporation spectra

Nuclear reactions of interest for astrophysics and applications often rely on statistical model calculations for nuclear reaction rates, particularly for nuclei far from $\beta$-stability. However, statistical model parameters are often poorly constrained, where experimental constraints are particularly sparse for exotic nuclides. For example, our understanding of the breakout from the NiCu cycle in the astrophysical rp-process is currently limited by uncertainties in the statistical properties of the proton-rich nucleus $^{60}$Zn. We have determined the nuclear level density of $^{60}$Zn using neutron evaporation spectra from $^{58}$Ni($^3$He, n) measured at the Edwards Accelerator Laboratory. We compare our results to a number of theoretical predictions, including phenomenological, microscopic, and shell model based approaches. Notably, we find the $^{60}$Zn level density is somewhat lower than expected for excitation energies populated in the $^{59}$Cu(p,$\gamma$)$^{60}$Zn reaction under rp-process conditions. This includes a level density plateau from roughly 5-6 MeV excitation energy, which is counter to the usual expectation of exponential growth and all theoretical predictions that we explore. A determination of the spin-distribution at the relevant excitation energies in $^{60}$Zn is needed to confirm that the Hauser-Feshbach formalism is appropriate for the $^{59}$Cu(p,$\gamma$)$^{60}$Zn reaction rate at X-ray burst temperatures.

Four α correlations in nuclear fragmentation: a game of resonances * *Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (11765014, 11865010, 11905120, 11605097, U2032146, 11421505), the Robert A.Welch Foundation (A-1266), the US Department of Energy (DE-FG02-93ER40773), Natural Science Foundation of Inner Mongolia (2018MS01009, 2019JQ01), the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) President's International Fellowship Initiative (2015VWA070), the Strategic Priority Research

Heavy ion collisions near the Fermi energy produce a ‘freezout’ region where fragments appear and later decay, emitting mainly neutrons, protons, alpha particles, and gamma rays. These decay products carry information about the decaying nuclei. Fragmentation events may result in high yields of boson particles, especially alpha particles, and may carry important information about the nuclear Bose Einstein condensate (BEC). We study ‘in medium’ four α correlations and link them to the ‘fission’ of 16O in two 8Be in the ground state or 12C*(Hoyle state)+α. Using novel techniques for the correlation functions, we confirm the resonance of 16O at 15.2 MeV excitation energy, and the possibility of a lower resonance, close to 14.72 MeV. The latter resonance is the result of all α particles having 92 keV relative kinetic energies.

Spectroscopic study of Ca47 from the β− decay of K47

The $\beta^-$ decay of $^{47}$K to $^{47}$Ca is an appropriate mechanism for benchmarking interactions spanning the $sd$ and $pf$ shells, but current knowledge of the $\beta^-$-decay scheme is limited. We have performed a high-resolution, high-efficiency study of the $\beta^-$-decay of $^{47}$K with the GRIFFIN spectrometer at TRIUMF-ISAC. The study revealed 48 new transitions, a more precise value for the $^{47}$K half-life (17.38(3)~s), and new spin and parity assignments for eight excited states. Levels placed for the first time here raise the highest state observed in $\beta^-$ decay to within 568(3) keV of the $Q$-value and confirm the previously measured large $\beta^-$-decay branching ratios to the low-lying states. Previously unobserved $\beta^-$-feeding to 3/2$^+$ states between 4.5 and 6.1~MeV excitation energy was identified with a total $\beta^-$-feeding intensity of 1.29(2)\%. The sum of the $B(GT)$ values for these states indicates that the $1s_{1/2}$ proton hole strength near this excitation energy is comparable to the previously known $1s_{1/2}$ proton and neutron hole strengths near 2.6 MeV.

Radiative Width of the Hoyle State from γ-Ray Spectroscopy.

The cascading 3.21 and 4.44MeV electric quadrupole transitions have been observed from the Hoyle state at 7.65MeV excitation energy in ^{12}C, excited by the ^{12}C(p,p^{'}) reaction at 10.7MeV proton energy. From the proton-γ-γ triple coincidence data, a value of Γ_{rad}/Γ=6.2(6)×10^{-4} was obtained for the radiative branching ratio. Using our results, together with Γ_{π}^{E0}/Γ from Eriksen etal. [Phys. Rev. C 102, 024320 (2020)PRVCAN2469-998510.1103/PhysRevC.102.024320] and the currently adopted Γ_{π}(E0) values, the radiative width of the Hoyle state is determined as Γ_{rad}=5.1(6)×10^{-3} eV. This value is about 34% higher than the currently adopted value and will impact models of stellar evolution and nucleosynthesis.

Level structure of S31 via S32(p,d)S31

Background: Properties of proton-unbound $^{31}\mathrm{S}$ states determine the $^{30}\mathrm{P}(p,\ensuremath{\gamma})^{31}\mathrm{S}$ reaction rate, which has a significant impact on explosive hydrogen burning in classical novae and type-I x-ray bursts. Despite several previous studies, uncertainties still remain with respect to the nuclear structure of $^{31}\mathrm{S}$ near the proton threshold.Purpose: The level structure of $^{31}\mathrm{S}$ has been presently investigated via a charged-particle spectroscopy experiment using the $^{32}\mathrm{S}(p,d)^{31}\mathrm{S}$ reaction.Method: Deuterons corresponding to $^{31}\mathrm{S}$ excited states with $3.285\ensuremath{\le}\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}{E}_{x}\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\le}10.8$ MeV were momentum analyzed via an Enge split-pole spectrograph at six laboratory angles between ${10}^{\ensuremath{\circ}}$ and ${62}^{\ensuremath{\circ}}$. Differential cross sections of the $^{32}\mathrm{S}(p,d)^{31}\mathrm{S}$ reaction were measured at ${E}_{p}\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}=34.5$ MeV. Distorted-wave Born approximation calculations were performed to constrain the spin-parity assignments of several of the observed levels.Results: We have detected 72 excited states of $^{31}\mathrm{S}$, out of which 17 are within the astrophysical region of interest corresponding to the temperature range of 0.1--1.5 GK. We have resolved the discrepancy in the spin and parity of an excited state with ${E}_{x}\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}=6542$ keV, showing that is it not ${J}^{\ensuremath{\pi}}\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}=3/{2}^{\ensuremath{-}}$, and therefore the contribution of this state to the $^{30}\mathrm{P}(p,\ensuremath{\gamma})$ reaction rate is likely much less significant than previously thought owing to the larger angular-momentum transfer required to populate this excited state. Moreover, our measurement results help consolidate the spin-parity assignments for the 6377 and 6636 keV states in $^{31}\mathrm{S}$.Conclusions: This work presents the most comprehensive spin-parity assignments to date from a single-neutron transfer reaction on $^{32}\mathrm{S}$ to $^{31}\mathrm{S}$ excited states in the region between 6 to 7 MeV excitation energy. This region is significant for the determination of the $^{30}\mathrm{P}(p,\ensuremath{\gamma})^{30}\mathrm{S}$ reaction rate over the temperatures characteristic of explosive hydrogen burning in novae.

R-Matrix Analysis of Reactions with Excitation of the 10B Compound Nucleus at Energies of 6.5–19.5 MeV

An R-matrix analysis is performed for experimental data on 9Be(p,p0)9Be, 9Be(p,p1)9Be* (1.670 MeV), 9Be(p,p2)9Be* (2.430 MeV), 9Be(p,n0)9B, 9Be(p,d0)8Be, 9Be(p,α0)6Li, 9Be(p,α2)6Li* (3.5618 MeV), and 7Li(3He,p0)9Be reactions at 6.5–19.5 MeV excitation energies of 10B compound nucleus. Experimental data on differential and integral cross sections of the 9Be(p,α2)6Li* (3.5618 MeV, Jπ = 0+) reaction at proton energy Ep = 2.3–4.5 MeV are included in the analysis, along with data on differential cross sections of the 9Be(p,n0)9B reaction at angle 0° in the Ep = 2.2–3.5 MeV energy range. New 10B levels are determined and characteristics of states detected earlier are improved.