| 1. |
- Warr, N., et al.
(författare)
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The Miniball spectrometer
- 2013
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Ingår i: European Physical Journal A. Hadrons and Nuclei. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1434-6001. ; 49:3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Miniball germanium detector array has been operational at the REX (Radioactive ion beam EXperiment) post accelerator at the Isotope Separator On-Line facility ISOLDE at CERN since 2001. During the last decade, a series of successful Coulomb excitation and transfer reaction studies have been performed with this array, utilizing the unique and high-quality radioactive ion beams which are available at ISOLDE. In this article, an overview is given of the technical details of the full Miniball setup, including a description of the.-ray and particle detectors, beam monitoring devices and methods to deal with beam contamination. The specific timing properties of the REX-ISOLDE facility are highlighted to indicate the sensitivity that can be achieved with the full Miniball setup. The article is finalized with a summary of some physics highlights at REX-ISOLDE and the utilization of the Miniball germanium detectors at other facilities.
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| 2. |
- Gaffney, L. P., et al.
(författare)
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Collectivity in the light radon nuclei measured directly via Coulomb excitation
- 2015
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Ingår i: Physical Review C (Nuclear Physics). - 0556-2813. ; 91:6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Shape coexistence in heavy nuclei poses a strong challenge to state-of-the-art nuclear models, where several competing shape minima are found close to the ground state. A classic region for investigating this phenomenon is in the region around Z = 82 and the neutron midshell at N = 104. Purpose: Evidence for shape coexistence has been inferred from a-decay measurements, laser spectroscopy, and in-beam measurements. While the latter allow the pattern of excited states and rotational band structures to be mapped out, a detailed understanding of shape coexistence can only come from measurements of electromagnetic matrix elements. Method: Secondary, radioactive ion beams of Rn-202 and Rn-204 were studied by means of low-energy Coulomb excitation at the REX-ISOLDE in CERN. Results: The electric-quadrupole (E2) matrix element connecting the ground state and first excited 2(1)(+) state was extracted for both Rn-202 and Rn-204, corresponding to B(E2; 2(1)(+) -> 0(1)(+)) = 29(-8)(+8) and 43(-12)(+17) W.u., respectively. Additionally, E2 matrix elements connecting the 2(1)(+) state with the 4(1)(+) and 2(2)(+) states were determined in Rn-202. No excited 0(+) states were observed in the current data set, possibly owing to a limited population of second-order processes at the currently available beam energies. Conclusions: The results are discussed in terms of collectivity and the deformation of both nuclei studied is deduced to be weak, as expected from the low-lying level-energy schemes. Comparisons are also made to state-of-the-art beyond-mean-field model calculations and the magnitude of the transitional quadrupole moments are well reproduced.
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| 3. |
- Wrzosek-Lipska, K., et al.
(författare)
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Electromagnetic properties of low-lying states in neutron-deficient Hg isotopes : Coulomb excitation of 182Hg, 184Hg, 186Hg and 188Hg
- 2019
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Ingår i: European Physical Journal A. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1434-6001 .- 1434-601X. ; 55:8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The neutron-deficient mercury isotopes serve as a classical example of shape coexistence, whereby at low energy near-degenerate nuclear states characterized by different shapes appear. The electromagnetic structure of even-mass 182-188 Hg isotopes was studied using safe-energy Coulomb excitation of neutron-deficient mercury beams delivered by the REX-ISOLDE facility at CERN. The population of 01,2+, 21,2+ and 41+ states was observed in all nuclei under study. Reduced E2 matrix elements coupling populated yrast and non-yrast states were extracted, including their relative signs. These are a sensitive probe of shape coexistence and may be used to validate nuclear models. The experimental results are discussed in terms of mixing of two different configurations and are compared with three different model calculations: the Beyond Mean Field model, the Interacting Boson Model with configuration mixing and the General Bohr Hamiltonian. Partial agreement with experiment was observed, hinting to missing ingredients in the theoretical descriptions.
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| 4. |
- Bree, N, et al.
(författare)
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Shape Coexistence in the Neutron-Deficient Even-Even Hg182-188 Isotopes Studied via Coulomb Excitation.
- 2014
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Ingår i: Physical Review Letters. - 1079-7114. ; 112:16
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Coulomb-excitation experiments to study electromagnetic properties of radioactive even-even Hg isotopes were performed with 2.85 MeV/nucleon mercury beams from REX-ISOLDE. Magnitudes and relative signs of the reduced E2 matrix elements that couple the ground state and low-lying excited states in Hg182-188 were extracted. Information on the deformation of the ground and the first excited 0+ states was deduced using the quadrupole sum rules approach. Results show that the ground state is slightly deformed and of oblate nature, while a larger deformation for the excited 0+ state was noted in Hg182,184. The results are compared to beyond mean field and interacting-boson based models and interpreted within a two-state mixing model. Partial agreement with the model calculations was obtained. The presence of two different structures in the light even-mass mercury isotopes that coexist at low excitation energy is firmly established.
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| 5. |
- Gaffney, L. P., et al.
(författare)
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Low-energy Coulomb excitation of 62Fe and 62Mn following in-beam decay of 62Mn
- 2015
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Ingår i: European Physical Journal A. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1434-6001 .- 1434-601X. ; 51:10, s. 1-9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Sub-barrier Coulomb excitation was performed on a mixed beam of 62Mn and 62Fe, following in-trap β− decay of 62Mn at REX-ISOLDE, CERN. The trapping and charge breeding times were varied in order to alter the composition of the beam, which was measured by means of an ionisation chamber at the zero-angle position of the Miniball array. A new transition was observed at 418 keV, which has been tentatively associated to a (2+,3+)→ 1g.s. + transition. This fixes the relative positions of the β-decaying 4+ and 1+ states in 62Mn for the first time. Population of the 21 + state was observed in 62Fe and the cross-section determined by normalisation to the 109Ag target excitation, confirming the B(E2) value measured in recoil-distance lifetime experiments.
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| 6. |
- Kesteloot, N., et al.
(författare)
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Deformation and mixing of coexisting shapes in neutron-deficient polonium isotopes
- 2015
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Ingår i: Physical Review C (Nuclear Physics). - 0556-2813. ; 92:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Coulomb-excitation experiments are performed with postaccelerated beams of neutron-deficient Po-196,Po-198,Po-200,Po-202 isotopes at the REX-ISOLDE facility. A set of matrix elements, coupling the low-lying states in these isotopes, is extracted. In the two heaviest isotopes, Po-196,Po-198, the transitional and diagonal matrix elements of the 2(1)(+) state are determined. In Po-196,Po-198 multistep Coulomb excitation is observed, populating the 4(1)(+), 0(2)(+), and 2(2)(+) states. The experimental results are compared to the results from the measurement of mean-square charge radii in polonium isotopes, confirming the onset of deformation from Po-196 onwards. Three model descriptions are used to compare to the data. Calculations with the beyond-mean-field model, the interacting boson model, and the general Bohr Hamiltonian model show partial agreement with the experimental data. Finally, calculations with a phenomenological two-level mixing model hint at the mixing of a spherical structure with a weakly deformed rotational structure.
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| 7. |
- Gaffney, L. P., et al.
(författare)
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Studies of pear-shaped nuclei using accelerated radioactive beams
- 2013
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 497:7448, s. 199-204
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- There is strong circumstantial evidence that certain heavy, unstable atomic nuclei are 'octupole deformed', that is, distorted into a pear shape. This contrasts with the more prevalent rugby-ball shape of nuclei with reflection-symmetric, quadrupole deformations. The elusive octupole deformed nuclei are of importance for nuclear structure theory, and also in searches for physics beyond the standard model; any measurable electric-dipole moment (a signature of the latter) is expected to be amplified in such nuclei. Here we determine electric octupole transition strengths (a direct measure of octupole correlations) for short-lived isotopes of radon and radium. Coulomb excitation experiments were performed using accelerated beams of heavy, radioactive ions. Our data on Rn-220 and Ra-224 show clear evidence for stronger octupole deformation in the latter. The results enable discrimination between differing theoretical approaches to octupole correlations, and help to constrain suitable candidates for experimental studies of atomic electric-dipole moments that might reveal extensions to the standard model.
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| 8. |
- Scheck, M., et al.
(författare)
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Do nuclei go pear-shaped? Coulomb excitation of Rn-220 and Ra-224 at REX-ISOLDE (CERN)
- 2015
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Ingår i: Cgs15 - Capture Gamma-ray Spectroscopy and Related Topics. - : EDP Sciences. - 2101-6275 .- 2100-014X. ; 93, s. 01038-01038
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The IS475 collaboration conducted Coulomb-excitation experiments with post-accelerated radioactive Rn-220 and Ra-224 beams at the REX-ISOLDE facility. The beam particles (E-beam: 2.83 MeV/u) were Coulomb excited using Ni-60, Cd-14, and Sn-120 scattering targets. De-excitation gamma-rays were detected employing the Miniball array and scattered particles were detected in a silicon detector. Exploiting the Coulomb-excitation code GOSIA for each nucleus several matrix elements could be obtained from the measured gamma-ray yields. The extracted < 3 parallel to E3 parallel to 0(+)> matrix element allows for the conclusion that, while Rn-220 represents an octupole vibrational system, Ra-224 has already substantial octupole correlations in its ground state. This finding has i(m)plications for the search of CP-violating Schiff moments in the atomic systems of the adjacent odd-mass nuclei.
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| 9. |
- Seidlitz, M., et al.
(författare)
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Coulomb excitation of Na-29,Na-30: Mapping the borders of the island of inversion
- 2014
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Ingår i: Physical Review C (Nuclear Physics). - 0556-2813. ; 89:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Nuclear shell evolution in neutron-rich Na nuclei around N = 20 was studied by determining reduced transition probabilities, i.e., B(E2) and B(M1) values, in order to map the border of the island of inversion. To this end Coulomb-excitation experiments, employing radioactive Na-29,Na-30 beams with a final beam energy of 2.85 MeV/nucleon, were performed at REX-ISOLDE, CERN. De-excitation gamma rays were detected by the MINIBALL gamma-ray spectrometer in coincidence with scattered particles in a segmented Si detector. Transition probabilities to excited states were deduced. The measured B(E2) values agree well with shell-model predictions, supporting the idea that in the Na isotopic chain the ground-state wave function contains significant intruder admixture already at N = 18, with N = 19 having an almost pure two-particle-two-hole deformed ground-state configuration.
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