Joel Lepak

Gamma Spectroscopy of Hf-178m2 Using Synchrotron X-Rays

Preliminary survey experiments have been performed to examine the triggering of gamma emission from the 31-year Hf-178m2 isomer using intense monochromatic synchrotron radiation from the X15A beamline at the National Synchrotron Light Source at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Initial studies were performed to probe incident photon energies over the L1, L2, and L3 X-ray edges of Hf and the 12–13 keV range. Resonances larger than the experimental minimum detectable level of 10−25 cm2 keV were not observed.

Initial search for triggered gamma emission from 178Hfm2 using the YSU miniball array

Experiments with the long-lived, high-K isomer 178Hfm2 have been recognized as intriguing tests of multi-quasiparticle state structures and their interactions with external radiation. A triggered release of the energy stored by this isomer, 2.5 MeV per nucleus or 1.2 GJ/gram, in the form of a gamma-ray burst might prove valuable for numerous applications. The observation of “accelerated” decay of 178Hfm2 during irradiation by 90-keV bremsstrahlung has already been reported, but with poor statistical accuracy due to the experimental approach. That approach employed single Ge detectors to seek increases in the areas of peaks at energies corresponding to transitions in the spontaneous decay of the isomer. The need for better quality data to confirm those results has motivated the development of improved detection concepts. One such concept was utilized here to perform an initial search for low-energy (<20 keV) triggered gamma emission from 178Hfm2 using the YSU miniball detector array.