Sequential Decay Research Articles

New DAQ System for the CANDLES Experiment

A new data acquisition (DAQ) system for the CANDLES experiment was developed using the SpaceWire protocol and the DAQ-Middleware framework. The CANDLES experiment uses a trigger board and Flash Analog-to-Digital Converters (FADCs). The SpaceWire helps us construct the DAQ system with a flexible and multi-path access to FADCs and the trigger board. FADCs have a ring buffer with three buffers to detect sequential decays from backgrounds. We developed the DAQ system with parallel read-out to reduce the dead time at high trigger rates using three read-out personal computers (PCs) that are connected to the three buffers in FADCs one by one. Each PC connects all FADCs and the trigger board and gathers a complete data set of one event without any event builder. The maximum DAQ speed of parallel read-out by three PCs was 2.4 times higher than that of single read-out. In order to collect event data sets from PCs, we built the network distributed DAQ system through Ethernet, which is naturally introduced with the DAQ-Middleware. To realize remote monitoring and histogram modification while the DAQ running, we also developed a dynamic online monitor system independent with the DAQ-Middleware.

Theoretical study of the almost sequential mechanism of true ternary fission

We consider the collinear ternary fission which is a sequential ternary decay with a very short time between the ruptures of two necks connecting the middle cluster of the ternary nuclear system and outer fragments. In particular, we consider the case where the Coulomb field of the first massive fragment separated during the first step of the fission produces a lower pre-scission barrier in the second step of the residual part of the ternary system. In this case, we obtain a probability of about $10^{-3}$ for the yield of massive clusters such as \nuclide[70]{Ni}, \nuclide[80-82]{Ge}, \nuclide[86]{Se}, and \nuclide[94]{Kr} in the ternary fission of \nuclide[252]{Cf}. These products appear together with the clusters having mass numbers of $A = 132$--$140$. The results show that the yield of a heavy cluster such as \nuclide[68-70]{Ni} would be followed by a product of $A = 138$--$148$ with a large probability as observed in the experimental data obtained with the FOBOS spectrometer at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research. The third product is not observed. The landscape of the potential energy surface shows that the configuration of the Ni + Ca + Sn decay channel is lower about 12 MeV than that of the Ca + Ni + Sn channel. This leads to the fact, that the yield of Ni and Sn is large. The analysis on the dependence of the velocity of the middle fragment on mass numbers of the outer products leads to the conclusion that, in the collinear tripartition channel of \nuclide[252]{Cf}, the middle cluster has a very small velocity, which does not allow it to be found in experiments.

Three-body nature of N(*) and Δ(*) resonances from sequential decay chains.

The Nπ^{0}π^{0} decays of positive-parity N^{*} and Δ^{*} resonances at about 2GeV are studied at ELSA by photoproduction of two neutral pions off protons. The data reveal clear evidence for several intermediate resonances: Δ(1232), N(1520)3/2^{-}, and N(1680)5/2^{+}, with spin parities J^{P}=3/2^{+}, 3/2^{-}, and 5/2^{+}. The partial wave analysis (within the Bonn-Gatchina approach) identifies N(1440)1/2^{+} and the N(ππ)_{S wave} (abbreviated as Nσ here) as further isobars and assigns the final states to the formation of nucleon and Δ resonances and to nonresonant contributions. We observe the known Δ(1232)π decays of Δ(1910)1/2^{+}, Δ(1920)3/2^{+}, Δ(1905)5/2^{+}, Δ(1950)7/2^{+}, and of the corresponding spin-parity series in the nucleon sector, N(1880)1/2^{+}, N(1900)3/2^{+}, N(2000)5/2^{+}, and N(1990)7/2^{+}. For the nucleon resonances, these decay modes are reported here for the first time. Further new decay modes proceed via N(1440)1/2^{+}π, N(1520)3/2^{-}π, N(1680)5/2^{+}π, and Nσ. The latter decay modes are observed in the decay of N^{*} resonances and at most weakly in Δ^{*} decays. It is argued that these decay modes provide evidence for a 3-quark nature of N^{*} resonances rather than a quark-diquark structure.

Different mechanism of two-proton emission from proton-rich nuclei 23Al and 22Mg

Two-proton relative momentum (qpp) and opening angle (θpp) distributions from the three-body decay of two excited proton-rich nuclei, namely Al23→p+p+Na21 and Mg22→p+p+Ne20, have been measured with the projectile fragment separator (RIPS) at the RIKEN RI Beam Factory. An evident peak at qpp∼20 MeV/c as well as a peak in θpp around 30° are seen in the two-proton break-up channel from a highly-excited 22Mg. In contrast, such peaks are absent for the 23Al case. It is concluded that the two-proton emission mechanism of excited 22Mg is quite different from the 23Al case, with the former having a favorable diproton emission component at a highly excited state and the latter dominated by the sequential decay process.

Progress towards the production of the 236gNp standard sources and competing fission fragment production

Abstract The isobaric distribution of fission residues produced following the bombardment of a natural uranium target with a beam of 25 MeV protons has been evaluated. Decay analysis of thirteen isobarically distinct fission residues were carried out using high-resolution γ-spectrometry at the UK National Physical Laboratory. Stoichiometric abundances were calculated via the determination of absolute activity concentrations associated with the longest-lived members of each isobaric chain. This technique was validated by computational modelling of likely sequential decay processes through an isobaric decay chain. The results were largely in agreement with previously published values for neutron bombardments on 238 U at energies of 14 MeV. Higher yields of products with mass numbers A ~110–130 were found, consistent with the increasing yield of these radionuclides as the bombarding energy is increased.

Remote Detection of Ammonium Nitrate by Nuclear Quadrupole Resonance using a Portable System

This paper shows the advances in the development of a portable system for remote detection of ammonium nitrate by nuclear quadrupole resonance. Three different probe coils were constructed and compared in terms of the signal intensity and the noise rejection under different environments, using the developed system. For the gradiometer probe coil, which showed the best performance in terms of noise rejection, the ‘90°’ equivalent pulse was determined for different distances between the sample and the probe, and the remote detection of ammonium nitrate was achieved not only in a shielded room inside the laboratory, but also in the outdoors. The system was capable of detecting 200 g ammonium nitrate at 3 cm apart from the probe within 12 s with a steady-state free precession pulse sequence. The comparable results were obtained with a free induction decay sequence in 25 min for the total acquisition time. The compact size of the system will allow the applications for the substance detection in the outdoors especially for landmines made from ammonium nitrate and fuel oil mixtures instead of military explosives.

Theory of two-step two-proton decays of nuclei

A general theory of many-body diagonal and nondiagonal one-proton decays of spherical and deformed nuclei is developed on the basis of an approach not employing R-matrix theory in describing deep-subbarrier alpha and one-proton decays of nuclei but relying on integral formulas for the widths with respect to these decays. With the aid of this theory and by means of a diagram technique, a formalism is developed for describing two-step two-proton decays of a (Z, A) parent nucleus, which proceed as two successive time-separated one-proton decays of the parent and intermediate [(Z − 1, A − 1)] nuclei, these decays being related by the Green’s function for the intermediate nucleus, G(Z − 1, A − 1). It is shown that, upon taking into account, in this Green’s function, intermediate-nucleus states that are on- and off-shell states for the decaying system, there arise, respectively, sequential and virtual two-proton decays of parent nuclei. Expressions for the widths with respect to sequential and virtual two-proton decays from the ground and excited states of spherical and deformed nuclei and for the angular and energy distributions of emitted protons are obtained.

Density and temperature in heavy-ion collisions: A test of classical and quantum approaches

Different methods to extract the temperature and density in heavy ion collisions are compared using a statistical model tailored to reproduce many experimental features at low excitation energy. The model assumes a sequential decay of an excited nucleus and a Fermi gas entropy. We first generate statistical events as function of excitation energy but stopping the decay chain at the first step. In such a condition the 'exact' model temperature is determined from the Fermi gas relation to the excitation energy. From these events, using quantum and classical fluctuation methods for protons and neutrons, we derive temperature and density (quantum case only) of the system under consideration. Additionally, the same quantities are also extracted using the double ratio method for different particle combinations. A very good agreement between the "exact" temperatures and quantum fluctuation temperatures is obtained, the role of the density is discussed. Classical methods give a reasonable estimate of the temperature when the density is very low as expected. The effects of secondary decays of the excited fragments are discussed as well.

Further improvement of the upper limit on the direct 3α decay from the Hoyle state in 12C.

The direct 3α decay branch from the 02+ state at Ex=7.65 MeV in 12C, which is known as the Hoyle state, is considered to affect the triple-α reaction rate strongly and to give crucial information on its structure. We have performed a high-precision measurement of the 3α decay from this state using the 12C(12C,3α)12C reaction at E12C=110 MeV. The branching ratio of the direct 3α decay was under the detection limit in the present experiment. By comparing with Monte Carlo simulations for three decay mechanisms as the sequential decay through the ground state of ^{8}Be, the direct decay with equal energies of three α particles, and the direct decay to the phase space uniformly, we have obtained the upper limit of 0.2% on the direct 3α decay.

Dissociation of OCS by high energy highly charged ion impact

Various dissociation channels of OCS q+ (where q = 2 to 4), formed in the interaction of 5 MeV u-1 Si12+ ion beam with neutral OCS, have been studied using recoil–ion momentum spectroscopy. The concerted and/or sequential nature of dissociation is inferred from the shape and slope of the coincidence islands in the 2D coincidence map. It is observed that the C+ + S+ + O channel results from concerted as well as sequential decay of OCS2+. However the other channels originate purely from the concerted process in which the two terminal fragments (oxygen and sulphur) fly back to back and the central carbon fragment is left with negligible momentum. The kinetic energy release (KER) distributions for all the fragmentation channels arising from the dissociation of OCS q+ (where q = 2 to 4) have been measured and compared with the available data in the literature. It is observed that the KER values for complete Coulomb fragmentation channels are much smaller than those of incomplete Coulomb fragmentation cases and the KER increases with the increasing charge states of the parent molecular ions. From the momentum correlation map, we estimated the geometry of the precursor molecular ion undergoing three–body dissociation and inferred that bent dissociative states are involved in most of the fragmentation channels of OCS q+.

Width ofNe16(g.s.)

I have computed widths for $2p$ decay of $^{16}\mathrm{Ne}$ to ${}^{14}\mathrm{O}+2p$. For both simultaneous and sequential decay, my calculated widths are considerably smaller than other theoretical values---all of which are considerably smaller than the most recent experimental value and a recent upper limit.

Two-step mechanisms of two-proton decays of nuclei

A formalism for describing two-step two-proton decays of nuclei is developed on the basis of the multiparticle theory of deep-subbarrier one-proton decays of nuclei that employs integral expression for the decay widths in question. This formalism relies on the idea that the interaction between the emitted protons has but a slight effect on the widths with respect to the two-proton decays being considered. It is shown that such a decay is naturally broken down into the sequential one-proton decays of an (A, Z) parent nucleus and an (A − 1, Z − 1) intermediate nucleus, these decays being related by the Green’s function G(A − 1, Z − 1) that describes the intermediate nucleus with allowance for its real and virtual states, which give rise to, respectively, the sequential and the virtual two-step two-proton decay of the parent nucleus. It is also shown that the widths with respect to sequential two-step two-proton decays coincide with the analogous widths constructed within the R-matrix theory of nuclear reactions leading to the production of unstable particles and with their counterparts obtained with the aid of solving the set of kinetic equations for the chain of nuclei undergoing radioactive decays. It is found that the widths with respect to virtual two-step two-proton decays are close in structure to the widths constructed for the simultaneous two-proton decays of nuclei by using integrated formulas within a simplified model of the method of three-particle hyperspherical polynomials.

Coupling highly excited nuclei to the atomic shell in dense astrophysical plasmas

In dense astrophysical plasmas, neutron capture populates highly excited nuclear states close to the neutron threshold. The impact of additional low-energy nuclear excitations via coupling to the atomic shell on the ability of the so-formed compound nucleus to retain the captured neutron is investigated. We focus on the mechanism of nuclear excitation by electron capture in plasmas characterized by electron fluxes typical for the slow neutron capture process of stellar nucleosynthesis. The small effect of this further excitation on the neutron capture and gamma decay sequence relevant for nucleosynthesis is quantified and compared to the corresponding effect of an additional low-energy photoexcitation step.

Isospin effects in the exclusive dp $ \rightarrow$ 3He $ \pi^{+}$ $ \pi^{-}$ reaction

The differential cross section for the exclusive dp -> 3He{\pi}+{\pi}- reaction has been measured with high resolution and large statistics over a large fraction of the backward 3He hemisphere at the excess energy 265 MeV using the COSY-ANKE magnetic spectrometer. Though the well-known ABC enhancement is observed in the {\pi}+{\pi}- spectrum, the differences detected between the {\pi}+3He and {\pi}-3He invariant-mass distributions show that there must be some isospin-one {\pi}{\pi} production even at relatively low excess energies. The invariant-mass differences are modeled in terms of the sequential decay N*(1440) -> Delta(1232){\pi} -> N{\pi}{\pi}.

Level structure of 86Sr

The high-spin states in 86Sr have been investigated by using in-beam $ \gamma$ -ray spectroscopy with the 82Se(9Be, 5n)86Sr reaction at a beam energy of 53 MeV. The level scheme of 86Sr has been extended considerably, four decay sequences have been established. The observed level schemes are compared with shell-model calculations using the recently developed residual interaction “jun45”, and a good agreement is shown.

Aligned ternary partitioning of the 197Au + 197Au system at 23 A MeV beam energy

Ternary partitions of the + system in collisions at 23 A MeV beam energy have been studied. It is observed that the mass number distribution of the lightest fragments, called intermediate mass fragments (IMF), extends up to mass numbers corresponding to partitions into three comparable fragments. The lightest IMFs of show well known features of prompt emission originating from the interaction zone (neck) during reseparation. Heavier IMFs (of ) definitely originate from sequential (but not equilibrated) decay of the primary projectile-like fragments (PLF*) (or target-like fragments (TLF*)). The decaying system evidently keeps memory of the neck configuration and consequently the IMFs are emitted collinearly either from the neck side or from the opposite side along the separation axis (polar emission). The new intriguing process of the polar emission dominates for IMFs of .

First observation of the unbound nucleus 15Ne.

We report on the first observation of the unbound proton-rich nucleus 15Ne. Its ground state and first excited state were populated in two-neutron knockout reactions from a beam of 500 MeV/u 17Ne. The 15Ne ground state is found to be unbound by 2.522(66) MeV. The decay proceeds directly to 13O with simultaneous two-proton emission. No evidence for sequential decay via the energetically allowed 2- and 1- states in 14F is observed. The 15Ne ground state is shown to have a strong configuration with two protons in the (sd) shell around 13O with a 63(5)% (1s1/2)2 component.

Application of the Continuum Discretized Coupled Channels Method to Nucleon-induced Reactions on 6,7Li for Energies up to 150 MeV

Nucleon-induced reactions on 6,7Li are analyzed systematically over a wide range of incident energies up to 150 MeV by using three-body continuum discretized coupled channels method (CDCC) capable of treating the breakup of 6,7Li. The diagonal and coupling potentials in the CDCC equation are obtained by folding the complex Jeukenne-Lejeune-Mahaux effective nucleon-nucleon interaction with transition densities. The normalization factors of the complex effective interaction are determined so as to reproduce experimental data on neutron total and proton reaction cross sections. Triton emission from 7Li breakup channel and p(n)+Li7→t+Li⁎5(He⁎5) channel is analyzed by the sequential decay model and final state interaction model, respectively. In most cases, the calculated results are in good agreement with experimental data except for the nucleon production double differential cross sections (DDX) at relatively low emission energies.

Comparison between cross sections, saddle point and scission point barriers for the32S+24Mg reaction

One of the principal characteristics of nuclear multifragmentation is the emis- sion of complex fragments of intermediate mass. The statistical multifragmentation model has been used for many years to describe the distribution of these fragments. An extension of the statistical multifragmentation model to include partial widths and life- times for emission, interprets the fragmentation process as the near simultaneous limit of a series of sequential binary decays. In this extension, the expression describing inter- mediate mass fragment emission is almost identical to that of light particle emission. At lower temperatures, similar expressions have been shown to furnish a good description of very light intermediate mass fragment emission. However, this is usually not considered a good approximation to the emission of heavier fragments. These emissions seem to be determined by the characteristics of the system at the saddle-point and its subsequent dynamical evolution rather than by the scission point. Here, we compare the barriers and decay widths of these different formulations of intermediate fragment emission and analyze the extent to which they remain distinguishable at high excitation energy.

T2 relaxometry using 3.0-tesla magnetic resonance imaging of the brain in early- and late-onset restless legs syndrome.

Background and PurposePrevious T2 relaxometry studies have provided evidence for regional brain iron deficiency in patients with restless legs syndrome (RLS). Measurement of the iron content in several brain regions, and in particular the substantia nigra (SN), in early- and late-onset RLS patients using T2 relaxometry have yielded inconsistent results. In this study the regional iron content was assessed in patients with early- and late-onset RLS using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and compared the results with those in controls.MethodsThirty-seven patients with idiopathic RLS (20 with early onset and 17 with late onset) and 40 control subjects were studied using a 3.0-tesla MRI with a gradient-echo sampling of free induction decay and echo pulse sequence. The regions of interest in the brain were measured independently by two trained analysts using software known as medical image processing, analysis, and visualization. The results were compared and a correlation analysis was conducted to investigate which brain areas were related to RLS clinical variables.ResultsThe iron index in the SN was significantly lower in patients with late-onset RLS than in controls (p=0.034), while in patients with early-onset RLS there was no significant difference. There was no significant correlation between the SN iron index of the late-onset RLS group and clinical variables such as disease severity.ConclusionsLate-onset RLS is associated with decreased iron content in the SN. This finding supports the hypothesis that regional brain iron deficiency plays a role in the pathophysiology of late-onset RLS.