Nuclear Excitation By Electron Capture Research Articles

Feasibility study of nuclear excitation by electron capture using an electron beam ion trap

The nuclear excitation by electron capture (NEEC) mechanism is considered to be one of the most effective ways to excite nuclear isomers. Despite being proposed over 50 years ago, direct experimental evidence of NEEC is yet elusive. In this study, we propose an experimental scheme to examine the NEEC process using an electron beam ion trap (EBIT). In an EBIT, highly charged ions are bombarded by an electron beam, which can result in excitation of the nuclei in the trap through mechanisms such as NEEC and Coulomb excitation (CE), etc. Our calculations show that the total rates of NEEC production for some nuclei can reach over 0.1/s, which is higher than these from other mechanisms like CE. The proposed scheme may result in the confirmation of the existence of NEEC, and can also be used to study atomic nuclear excitation related processes.

Theory of isomeric excitation of 229Th via electronic processes

A unified theoretical framework is presented for the isomeric excitation of the 229Th nucleus via electronic processes. These processes include nuclear excitation by electron transition (NEET), nuclear excitation by electron capture (NEEC), and nuclear excitation by inelastic electron scattering (NEIES). Detailed calculation results on the excitation rate and the excitation cross section are presented.

Isomeric Excitation of ^{229}Th in Laser-Heated Clusters.

We consider theoretically isomeric excitation of ^{229}Th in a laser-heated cluster. A ^{229}Th cluster is first radiated by an intense femtosecond laser pulse, causing ionization of the constituting atoms. The cluster will then survive for a time on the order of 1ps, during which the electrons collide with the nuclei repeatedly and excite them to the isomeric state. Two mechanisms are responsible for the isomeric excitation: nuclear excitation by electron capture (NEEC) and nuclear excitation by inelastic electron scattering (NEIES). By changing the laser intensity, one can tune between NEEC and NEIES continuously. This laser-heated-cluster scheme not only provides a highly efficient means for isomeric excitation, but also provides an approach for the confirmation of the NEEC process, which has been predicted for over forty years without conclusive experimental verifications.

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.

Probing ^{93m}Mo Isomer Depletion with an Isomer Beam.

The isomer depletion of ^{93m}Mo was recently reported [Chiara etal., Nature (London) 554, 216 (2018)NATUAS0028-083610.1038/nature25483] as the first direct observation of nuclear excitation by electron capture (NEEC). However, the measured excitation probability of 1.0(3)% is far beyond the theoretical expectation. In order to understand the inconsistency between theory and experiment, we produce the ^{93m}Mo nuclei using the ^{12}C(^{86}Kr,5n) reaction at a beam energy of 559MeV and transport the reaction residues to a detection station far away from the target area employing a secondary beam line. The isomer depletion is expected to occur during the slowdown process of the ions in the stopping material. In such a low γ-ray background environment, the signature of isomer depletion is not observed, and an upper limit of 2×10^{-5} is estimated for the excitation probability. This is consistent with the theoretical expectation. Our findings shed doubt on the previously reported NEEC phenomenon and highlight the necessity and feasibility of further experimental investigations for reexamining the isomer depletion under low γ-ray background.

On the stimulation of the de-excitation of nuclear isomers in plasma of a high-current electric discharge

The prospects of stimulated de-excitation of nuclear isomers (SDENI) with a trigger transition energy ∆E up to ∼ 1 keV in a plasma of a high-current electric discharge (HCED) with an electron temperature θ ∼ ∆E are discussed. An estimate of the probability of the SDENI process in plasma by the mechanism of nuclear excitation by electron capture (NEEC) is obtained. Themost promising for the SDENI study are isomers 229mTh (∆E ≈ 8 eV), 235mU (∆E = 76 eV), 110mAg (∆E = 1128 eV). To create an energy source most promising isomer is 186m Re (∆E is unknown) with a half-life of 2 × 105y, for which stimulated de-excitation in the laser plasma had beenalready observed at θ ∼ 1 keV.

X-ray-assisted nuclear excitation by electron capture in optical laser-generated plasmas

X-ray assisted nuclear excitation by electron capture (NEEC) into inner-shell atomic holes in a plasma environment generated by strong optical lasers is investigated theoretically. The considered scenario involves the interaction of a strong optical laser with a solid-state nuclear target leading to the generation of a plasma. In addition, intense x-ray radiation from an X-ray Free Electron Laser (XFEL) produces inner-shell holes in the plasma ions, into which NEEC may occur. As case study we consider the $4.85$-keV transition starting from the 2.4 MeV long-lived $^{\mathrm{93m}}$Mo isomer that can be used to release the energy stored in this metastable nuclear state. We find that the recombination into $2p_{1/2}$ inner-shell holes is most efficient in driving the nuclear transition. Already at few hundred eV plasma temperature, the generation of inner-shell holes can allow optimal conditions for NEEC, otherwise reached for steady-state plasma conditions in thermodynamical equilibrium only at few keV. The combination of x-ray and optical lasers presents two advantages: first, NEEC rates can be maximized at plasma temperatures where the photoexcitation rate remains low. Second, with mJ-class optical lasers and an XFEL repetition rate of $10$ kHz, the NEEC excitation number can reach $\sim 1$ depleted isomer per second and is competitive with scenarios recently envisaged at petawatt-class lasers.

^{93m}Mo Isomer Depletion via Beam-Based Nuclear Excitation by Electron Capture.

A recent nuclear physics experiment [C. J. Chiara etal., Nature (London) 554, 216 (2018)NATUAS0028-083610.1038/nature25483] reports the first direct observation of nuclear excitation by electron capture (NEEC) in the depletion of the ^{93m}Mo isomer. The experiment used a beam-based setup in which Mo highly charged ions with nuclei in the isomeric state ^{93m}Mo at 2.4MeV excitation energy were slowed down in a solid-state target. In this process, nuclear excitation to a higher triggering level led to isomer depletion. The reported excitation probability P_{exc}=0.01 was solely attributed to the so-far unobserved process of NEEC in lack of a different known channel of comparable efficiency. In this work, we investigate theoretically the beam-based setup and calculate excitation rates via NEEC using state-of-the-art atomic structure and ion stopping-power models. For all scenarios, our results disagree with the experimental data by approximately 9 orders of magnitude. This stands in conflict with the conclusion that NEEC was the excitation mechanism behind the observed depletion rate.

Beam-based scenario for Am242m isomer depletion via nuclear excitation by electron capture

Following the first experimental observation of $^{93m}\mathrm{Mo}$ isomer depletion via nuclear excitation by electron capture (NEEC), we consider another experimental scenario related to the $^{242m}\mathrm{Am}$ isomer for which the probability of the NEEC process is expected to be even higher than for the $^{93m}\mathrm{Mo}$ isomer. The optimum experimental conditions for the production and depletion of the $^{242m}\mathrm{Am}$ isomer in a beam-based scenario are discussed. The relevant beam-target reaction cross sections have been calculated striving to ensure effective production of the $^{242m}\mathrm{Am}$ isomer. Kinetic energies required for the NEEC process to occur have been predicted for the $n=5$, 6, and 7 subshells of $^{242m}\mathrm{Am}$ ions and combined with available ion charge states at subsequent stages of the ion stopping process. The NEEC resonance strengths have been estimated for the partial contributions of individual subshells to the whole NEEC process.

Resonance conditions for Mo93m isomer depletion via nuclear excitation by electron capture in a beam-based scenario

We present here a comprehensive analysis to understand the optimal atomic conditions for the first experimental observation of nuclear excitation by electron capture (NEEC) for the 6.85 h $^{93m}\mathrm{Mo}$ isomer with spin parity $21/{2}^{+}$. The NEEC process would provide an excitation from the long-lived isomer to a depletion level with spin parity $17/{2}^{+}$, which lies only 4.85 keV higher in energy, and is itself a shorter-lived isomer that subsequently decays, releasing a substantial amount of stored energy (2429.8 keV). The depletion level decays to a $13/{2}^{+}$ state through a 267.9-keV transition that offers the opportunity for identification of NEEC because it does not occur in the natural decay of the long-lived isomer. It has been shown that, for the proposed approach, high-precision atomic predictions are essential to understanding the proper physical conditions under which the experimental observation of the NEEC process will be possible using a beam-based scenario.

Calculations of nuclear excitation by electron capture (NEET) in nonlocal thermodynamic equilibrium plasmas

The nuclear excitation by electron capture (NEET) process may occur when the energy differences between two nuclear levels and between two electronic states are nearly equal, provided the quantum selection rules are fulfilled. These resonant conditions drastically limit the number of possible candidates, even though thermodynamic conditions encountered in hot dense plasmas do modify the orbital electronic binding energy and the resonance conditions. $^{201}\mathrm{Hg}$, with a low-lying isomeric state located at $1.565$ keV, can be excited by NEET process in a laser-created plasma. However, its correct calculation requires nonlocal thermodynamic equilibrium (non-LTE) atomic physics treatment because current laser-created plasmas do not reach high-enough temperature in the area at LTE. In this article, we describe the calculation leading to an estimated excitation rate and discuss the influence of LTE$/$non-LTE physics with an average-atom model and the use of a Gaussian variance calculation to estimate the broadening around the mean energy mismatch.

Nuclear-resonant electron scattering

We investigate nuclear-resonant electron scattering as occurring in the two-step process of nuclear excitation by electron capture (NEEC) followed by internal conversion. The nuclear excitation and decay are treated by a phenomenological collective model in which nuclear states and transition probabilities are described by experimental parameters. We present capture rates and resonant strengths for a number of heavy ion collision systems considering various scenarios for the resonant electron scattering process. The results show that for certain cases resonant electron scattering can have significantly larger resonance strengths than NEEC followed by the radiative decay of the nucleus. We discuss the impact of our findings on the possible experimental observation of NEEC.

Isomer Triggering via Nuclear Excitation by Electron Capture

Triggering of long-lived nuclear isomeric states via coupling to the atomic shells in the process of nuclear excitation by electron capture (NEEC) is studied. NEEC occurring in highly charged ions can excite the isomeric state to a triggering level that subsequently decays to the ground state. We present total cross sections for NEEC isomer triggering considering experimentally confirmed low-lying triggering levels and reaction rates based on realistic experimental parameters in ion storage rings. A comparison with other isomer triggering mechanisms shows that, among these, NEEC is the most efficient.

Competition between radiative recombination and nuclear excitation by electron capture

The process of electron recombination is investigated considering the possible resonant channel of nuclear excitation by electron capture (NEEC), in which a continuum electron is captured into a bound state of an ion with the simultaneous excitation of the nucleus. Transition rates and total cross sections for NEEC followed by the radiative decay of the nucleus are presented for various heavy-ion collision systems. The role played by radiative recombination (RR) in the NEEC recombination mechanism is investigated and theoretical estimates of the magnitude of the interference between the two processes are presented. We discuss the experimental possibility of discerning NEEC from the RR background, studying the angular distribution of the radiation emitted in the two processes.

Photon angular distribution and nuclear-state alignment in nuclear excitation by electron capture

The alignment of nuclear states resonantly formed in nuclear excitation by electron capture (NEEC) is studied by means of a density matrix technique. The vibrational excitations of the nucleus are described by a collective model and the electrons are treated in a relativistic framework. Formulas for the angular distribution of photons emitted in the nuclear relaxation are derived. We present numerical results for alignment parameters and photon angular distributions for a number of heavy elements in the case of $E2$ nuclear transitions. Our results are intended to help future experimental attempts to discern NEEC from radiative recombination, which is the dominant competing process.

Quantum interference between nuclear excitation by electron capture and radiative recombination

We investigate the quantum interference between the resonant process of nuclear excitation by electron capture (NEEC) followed by the radiative decay of the excited nucleus, and radiative recombination (RR). In order to derive the interference cross section, a Feshbach projection operator formalism is used. The electromagnetic field is considered by means of multipole fields. The nucleus is described by a phenomenological collective model and by making use of experimental data. The Fano profile parameters as well as the interference cross section for electric and magnetic multipole transitions in various heavy ions are presented. We discuss the experimental possibility of discerning NEEC from the RR background.

Theory of nuclear excitation by electron capture for heavy ions

We investigate the resonant process of nuclear excitation by electron capture (NEEC), in which a continuum electron is captured into a bound state of an ion with the simultaneous excitation of the nucleus. In order to derive the cross section a Feshbach projection operator formalism is introduced. Nuclear states and transitions are described by a nuclear collective model and making use of experimental data. Transition rates and total cross sections for NEEC followed by the radiative decay of the excited nucleus are calculated for various heavy-ion collision systems.

Nuclear excitation by electronic processes: NEEC and NEET effects

The nuclear excitation by electron capture (NEEC) and nuclear excitation by electronic transition (NEET), and related de-excitation, are two important electromagnetic processes to modify the nuclear state populations. In this paper, we present, on one hand, an experiment, accepted at GANIL (France) in September 2004, to measure the NEEC effect with a fully stripped 57Fe ion beam and, on the other hand, a complete calculation leading to the NEET rate of the first excited state of the 235U in a local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) plasma.

Electronic capture and excitation of highly charged channeled ions

Two aspects of heavy ion channeling are presented. The first aspect is related to the fact that channeled ions interact only with the most loosely bound target electrons. One can take benefit of this feature to study processes such as radiative electron capture (REC) and resonant transfer and excitation (RTE) in a dense quasi-free electron gas. The experimental work, performed at GANIL, devoted to these two processes is described. A possible extension to Nuclear RTE or NEEC (nuclear excitation by electron capture) studies is also described. The second aspect discussed is related to the periodicity of the potential experienced by channeled ions. We show that in a well chosen case this could lead to a significant and detectable coherent excitation of the projectile nucleus.