A. Hübner

Superheavy Element Flerovium (Element 114) Is a Volatile Metal

The electron shell structure of superheavy elements, i.e., elements with atomic number Z ≥ 104, is influenced by strong relativistic effects caused by the high Z. Early atomic calculations on element 112 (copernicium, Cn) and element 114 (flerovium, Fl) having closed and quasi-closed electron shell configurations of 6d(10)7s(2) and 6d(10)7s(2)7p1/2(2), respectively, predicted them to be noble-gas-like due to very strong relativistic effects on the 7s and 7p1/2 valence orbitals. Recent fully relativistic calculations studying Cn and Fl in different environments suggest them to be less reactive compared to their lighter homologues in the groups, but still exhibiting a metallic character. Experimental gas-solid chromatography studies on Cn have, indeed, revealed a metal-metal bond formation with Au. In contrast to this, for Fl, the formation of a weak bond upon physisorption on a Au surface was inferred from first experiments. Here, we report on a gas-solid chromatography study of the adsorption of Fl on a Au surface. Fl was produced in the nuclear fusion reaction (244)Pu((48)Ca, 3-4n)(288,289)Fl and was isolated in-flight from the primary (48)Ca beam in a physical recoil separator. The adsorption behavior of Fl, its nuclear α-decay product Cn, their lighter homologues in groups 14 and 12, i.e., Pb and Hg, and the noble gas Rn were studied simultaneously by isothermal gas chromatography and thermochromatography. Two Fl atoms were detected. They adsorbed on a Au surface at room temperature in the first, isothermal part, but not as readily as Pb and Hg. The observed adsorption behavior of Fl points to a higher inertness compared to its nearest homologue in the group, Pb. However, the measured lower limit for the adsorption enthalpy of Fl on a Au surface points to the formation of a metal-metal bond of Fl with Au. Fl is the least reactive element in the group, but still a metal.

New Short-Lived Isotope 221U and the Mass Surface Near N=126

Two short-lived isotopes ^{221}U and ^{222}U were produced as evaporation residues in the fusion reaction ^{50}Ti+^{176}Yb at the gas-filled recoil separator TASCA. An α decay with an energy of E_{α}=9.31(5)  MeV and half-life T_{1/2}=4.7(7)  μs was attributed to ^{222}U. The new isotope ^{221}U was identified in α-decay chains starting with E_{α}=9.71(5)  MeV and T_{1/2}=0.66(14)  μs leading to known daughters. Synthesis and detection of these unstable heavy nuclei and their descendants were achieved thanks to a fast data readout system. The evolution of the N=126 shell closure and its influence on the stability of uranium isotopes are discussed within the framework of α-decay reduced width.

Reduction of isotopically enriched 50Ti-dioxide for the production of high-intensity heavy-ion beam

Titanium-50 (50Ti) is an important and often requested ion beam for nuclear physics’ experiments. While natural titanium of very high purity is available in different forms; enriched material can only be bought as the dioxide or the tetrachloride. These compounds cannot be processed from currently available ion sources with a sufficient beam quality and sufficient beam intensity for a long time. We describe here the process of converting titanium dioxide into the metal, the material analysis of the starting material as well as of the reduced material. Despite varying contamination levels of silicon, chlorine, and tin in the primary materials, we obtained high yields of metallic titanium with different contamination levels. The obtained metallic 50Ti was applied at the accelerator UNILAC for the production of a high intensity ion beam for several month of beam time.

Investigation of different C-backings for targets

For a special application, carbon-backings with a very flat surface, microscopically as well as macroscopically, were needed as backings for targets of enriched isotopes. However, betaine-sucrose routinely applied at GSI as parting agent for carbon deposition results in a microscopically rough surface which was not perfectly satisfying the experimental requirements. For these targets we investigated the carbon-backing quality in relation to the applied different parting agents and different deposition processes. In this paper we report on the yield, on the structure of the carbon layers and the deposited target layer of 208PbS, 206PbS, and 142NdF3 depending on the parting agent, the thickness and the deposition methods. We report on elastic scattering experiments with a 48Ti-beam demonstrating the influence of the structure of the carbon backing on the experimental results.

Coating of diamonds for detector application

We report on the development of processes for pretreatment, coating, and tempering of structured layers on diamond surfaces for detector applications. The different steps were developed and processed in close collaboration with the GSI detector laboratory and with feedback from the experiment. Beginning with thermal evaporation and electron beam evaporation we currently use magnetron sputtering as standard coating technique for diamonds in a system especially equipped for this purpose. The layers of choice are mostly chromium–gold or titanium–platinum–gold; sometimes also single layers of aluminum, copper or palladium. The application of the coated diamonds in a detector for the HADES-experiment is described.

ALBEGA: A Decay Spectroscopy Setup for Chemically Separated Samples

Di Nitto, A.; Yakushev, A.; Düllmann, C. E.; Khuyagbaatar, J.; Krier, J.; Ballof, J.; Bar, J.; Budzynski, T.; Cox, D. M.; Derkx, X.; Dormand, J.; Despotopulos, J. D.; Eberhardt, K.; Even, J.; Grabiec, P.; Harkness-Brennan, L.; Herzberg, R. D.; Hübner, A.; Jäger, E.; Judson, D.; Kindler, B.; Klos, H.; Kratz, J. V.; Kulawik, J.; Kurz, N.; Lens, L.; Lommel, B.; Moody, K.; Panas, A.; Prokaryn, P.; Rudolph, Dirk; Runke, J.; Rusanov, I.; Scharrer, P.; Schausten, B.; Shaughnessy, D.; Szmigiel, D.; Ward, A. J.; Wegrzecki, M. Published in: GSI Report

Online chemical adsorption studies of Hg, Tl, and Pb on SiO2 and Au surfaces in preparation for chemical investigations on Cn, Nh, and Fl at TASCA

Abstract Online gas-solid adsorption studies with single-atom quantities of Hg, Tl, and Pb, the lighter homologs of the superheavy elements (SHE) copernicium (Cn, Z=112), nihonium (Nh, Z=113), and flerovium (Fl, Z=114), were carried out using short-lived radioisotopes. The interaction with Au and SiO2 surfaces was studied and the overall chemical yield was determined. Suitable radioisotopes were produced in fusion-evaporation reactions, isolated in the gas-filled recoil separator TASCA, and flushed rapidly to an adjacent setup of two gas chromatography detector arrays covered with SiO2 (first array) and Au (second array). While Tl and Pb adsorbed on the SiO2 surface, Hg interacts only weakly and reached the Au-covered array. Our results contribute to elucidating the influence of relativistic effects on chemical properties of the heaviest elements by providing experimental data on these lighter homologs.

Identification of Reaction Products in 50Ti+249Cf Reactions at TASCA

The neutron-rich nuclei 33P and 33S in the upper sd-shell were investigated by means of the 26Mg(13C,npa) and 26Mg(13C,2na) fusion-evaporation reactions. Excited states with intermediate and high spins have been populated. The level schemes of both nuclei have been considerably extended. Utilizing the gammagamma-angular correlation method the spin-parity assignment of the new excited states in 33P has been investigated. The experimentally determined energy levels as well as the known reduced transition probabilities (i.e. B(M1) and B(E2) values) from both nuclei were compared to 0hbaromega and 1hbaromega truncated p-sd-pf shell-model calculations using the PSDPF interaction. For the energy levels a very good agreement between experiment and theory was shown for both 33P and 33S. However, for B(M1) and B(E2) values the calculated values cannot reproduce the experimental results with satisfying agreement for all transitions. In some places the discrepancy between experiment and theory is even large, which requires further experimental as well as theoretical investigation of this thesis for these nuclei. The second part was focused on the upgrade and commissioning tests of the Lund- York-Cologne CAlorimeter (LYCCA). As a key device of the High resolution In-flight SPECtroscopy (HISPEC) campaign of the FAIR/NUSTAR collaboration, LYCCA was designed to identify the reaction products after the secondary target, as well as to track the particle trajectory event by event. After the successful employment of the precursor LYCCA-0 in the PreSPEC campaign, the electronic as well as mechanic components of the LYCCA system were upgraded by STFC Daresbury Laboratory. Using the high integrated AIDA Front-End electronics with ASICs the signals from more than thousand DSSSD-channels were pre-amplified and processed. Since 2016, the new LYCCA setup is located at the Cologne tandem accelerator. Triple-Alpha tests and in-beam experiments of elastic scattering were carried out to check the specifications of the system after the upgrade. The obtained results allow first important conclusions about energy resolution and efficiency of the calorimeter at low energies for future NUSTAR experiments.Di Nitto, A.; Khuyagbaatar, J.; Ackermann, D.; Adamczewski-Musch, J.; Andersson, LiseLotte; Badura, E.; Block, M; Brand, H.; Cox, D. M.; Düllmann, Ch. E.; Dvorak, J.; Eberhardt, K.; Ellison, P. A.; Esker, N. E.; Even, J.; Fahlander, Claes; Forsberg, Ulrika; Gates, J.M.; Golubev, Pavel; Gothe, O.; Gregorich, K.E.; Hartmann, W.; Herzberg, R.-D.; Heßberger, F. P.; Hoffmann, J.; Hollinger, R.; Hübner, A.; Jäger, E.; Jeppsson, J.; Kindler, B.; Klein, S.; Kojouharov, I.; Kratz, J.V.; Krier, J.; Kurz, N.; Lahiri, S.; Linev, S.; Lommel, B.; Maiti, M.; Mändl, R.; Merchán, E.; Minami, S.; Mistry, A. K.; Mokry, Ch.; Nitsche, H.; Omtvedt, J. P.; Pang, G.; Pysmenetska, I.; Renisch, D.; Rudolph, Dirk

Online chemical study of Pb, Hg and Tl on SiO

L. Lens, J. Ballof, A. Yakushev, Ch.E. Düllmann, H. Brand, X. Derkx, A. Di Nitto, J. Even, W. Hartmann, F.P. Heßberger A. Hübner, E. Jäger, J. Khuyagbaatar, B. Kindler, J.V. Kratz, J. Krier, N. Kurz, B. Lommel, C. Mokry, J. Runke, P. Scharrer, B. Schausten, J. Steiner, P. Thörle-Pospiech, M. Wegrzecki, N. Wiehl, V. Yakusheva Univ. Mainz, Germany; GSI, Darmstadt, Germany; Helmholtz Institut Mainz, Germany; ITE, Warsaw, Poland

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Abstract Self-supporting layers of metal and metal oxides are the most desirable form of targets and films for heavy-ion applications. If the self-supporting film cannot be produced in the wanted size or thickness, then typically a thin, self-supporting carbon backing is employed. But nevertheless there are applications where carbon as a backing does not offer the optimal properties as a backing. Then very often plastic backings are wanted. Several plastics are available commercially as a standard backing with very good quality and homogeneity. We report on the deposition of metals and metal oxides on various backings, when a standard commercial alternative is not available.