D. T. Joss

The GREAT spectrometer

Abstract The GREAT spectrometer is designed to measure the decay properties of reaction products transported to the focal plane of a recoil separator. GREAT comprises a system of silicon, germanium and gas detectors optimised for detecting the arrival of the reaction products and correlating with any subsequent radioactive decay involving the emission of protons, α particles, β particles, γ rays, X-rays or conversion electrons. GREAT can either be employed as a sensitive stand-alone device for decay measurements at the focal plane, or used to provide a selective tag for prompt conversion electrons or γ rays measured with arrays of detectors deployed at the target position. A new concept of triggerless data acquisition (total data readout) has also been developed as part of the GREAT project, which circumvents the problems and limitations of common dead time in conventional data acquisition systems.

The GREAT triggerless total data readout method

Recoil decay tagging (RDT) is a very powerful method for the spectroscopy of exotic nuclei. RDT is a delayed coincidence technique between detectors usually at the target position and at the focal plane of a spectrometer. Such measurements are often limited by dead time. This paper describes a novel triggerless data acquisition method, which is being developed for the Gamma Recoil Electron Alpha Tagging (GREAT) spectrometer, that overcomes this limitation by virtually eliminating dead time. Our solution is a total data readout (TDR) method where all channels run independently and are associated in software to reconstruct events. The TDR method allows all the data from both target position and focal plane to be collected with practically no dead-time losses. Each data word is associated with a timestamp generated from a global 100-MHz clock. Events are then reconstructed in real time in the event builder using temporal and spatial associations defined by the physics of the experiment.

Studies of pear-shaped nuclei using accelerated radioactive beams

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 220Rn and 224Ra 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.

Orbital dependent nucleonic pairing in the lightest known isotopes of tin

By studying the (109)Xe→(105)Te→(101)Sn superallowed α-decay chain, we observe low-lying states in (101)Sn, the one-neutron system outside doubly magic (100)Sn. We find that the spins of the ground state (J=7/2) and first excited state (J=5/2) in (101)Sn are reversed with respect to the traditional level ordering postulated for (103)Sn and the heavier tin isotopes. Through simple arguments and state-of-the-art shell-model calculations we explain this unexpected switch in terms of a transition from the single-particle regime to the collective mode in which orbital-dependent pairing correlations dominate.

Isovector pairing in odd-odd N = Z 50Mn

High-spin states in the odd–odd N=Z nucleus 5025Mn have been investigated. A sequence of states up to Jπ=6+ has been assigned as the T=1 analogue of the yrast band in 5024Cr for the first time. The differences in energy between levels in these bands are interpreted in terms of rotational alignments and the effect they have on the Coulomb energy of the nucleus. Comparisons with shell model calculations show that the Coulomb energy difference between the T=1 analogue structures is an important indicator of the competition between isovector pairing modes in N=Z nuclei and their isobars.

Detailed spectroscopy of the normally deformed states in 132Ce

Abstract High-spin states have been studied in 132 Ce produced in the 100 Mo( 36 S,4nγ) reaction using the EUROGAM II spectrometer. The structure of the normally deformed states ( β 2 ∼ 0.2) has been investigated. Eight ΔI = 2 bands and three ΔI = 1 bands have been identified and the level scheme extended up to spin and parity (40 + ) at an excitation energy 19.79 MeV. The results are interpreted with the aid of Woods-Saxon cranking calculations, which suggest a variety of triaxial (γ) shapes in this nucleus stabilised by specific active quasiparticle orbitals.

Identification of excited states in 167Os and 168Os: shape coexistence at extreme neutron deficiency

Excited states in the very neutron-deficient isotopes Os-167 and Os-168 have been observed using the reaction Sn-112(Ni-58, 2pxn). The JUROSPHERE gamma -ray spectrometer array was used in conjuncti ...

Evidence for multiple band terminations in 102Pd

Abstract The level structure of 102 Pd has been investigated using data collected with the Eurogam 2 array. Several cascades of γ-rays have been established up to high spins. Termination of rotational bands has been observed at I π = 28 − and 32 + , and tentatively at I π = 38 + and 42 + . The nucleus 102 Pd is the first case where rotational bands built on valence space configurations are followed from spin close to zero up to termination and, at higher spins, a smooth rotational band which appears to terminate is built on core excited configurations.

Co-existing coupling schemes at high spin in 166Hf

Two types of particles, A and B with their corresponding antiparticles, are defined in a one dimensional cyclic lattice with an odd number of sites. In each step of time evolution, each particle acts as a source for the polarization field of the other type of particle with nonlocal action but with an effect decreasing with the distance: A → · · · B̄BB̄BB̄ · · · ; B → · · ·AĀAĀA · · ·. It is shown that the combined distribution of these particles obeys the time evolution of a free particle as given by quantum mechanics. PACS 03.65.Bz, 03.65.Ca Typeset using REVTEX

Measurement of transition quadrupole moments of high-spin states in the N=74 isotones 133Pr, 132Ce and 131La

Abstract The Doppler-Shift Attenuation Method has been used to extract transition quadrupole moments of high-spin bands in the N=74 isotones 133 Pr, 132 Ce and 131 La, produced in the 37 Cl + 100 Mo reaction. The results appear to be configuration dependent and, for 133 Pr and 132 Ce, the involvement of Ω=1/2 νh 9/2 and νf 7/2 intruder orbitals appears to enhance the collectivity at high spin ( I>25 ℏ ).