Robert V. F. Janssens

Response of BaF2 detectors to photons of 3–50 MeV energy

Abstract BaF 2 detectors of 20 cm length (10 radiation lengths) and hexagonal cross section (diameter 5.2 cm) were tested using monochromatic photons from the tagged-photon facility at the electron accelerator MAMIA at Mainz. The experimental spectra the deposited energy for a single detector and for an array of seven modules compare very well with the predictions of Monte Carlo shower simulations using the code GEANT3. At high photon energies a significant improvement (more than a factor 2) of the energy resolution is observed for the summed energy spectra as compared to the resolution of one single module.

Nuclear physics: Elusive magic numbers

Gaps in nuclear levels, which cause nuclei with ‘magic’ numbers of protons or neutrons to be especially stable, seem to be different for nuclei with an excess of neutrons. But are all magic numbers aberrant in exotic species?Silicon: the question is 42Dramatic advances are being made in nuclear structure physics because of the availability of facilities producing beams of exotic radioisotopes. Of these, silicon-42 is of particular interest for study of the effects of packing extra neutrons into a nucleus. Neutrons and protons in atomic nuclei are arranged in a series of energy levels or ‘shells’. When a shell has a full quota of particles, the nucleus is particularly stable: the ‘magic numbers’ for stability are 2, 8, 20, 28, 50, 82 and 126. Silicon-42 owes its existence to its 28 neutrons, but is still a short-lived atom. This short lifetime has been explained as a consequence of strong deformation but this is contradicted in a new study that suggests that silicon-42 is almost spherical.

{sup 40}Ca({alpha},{gamma}){sup 44}Ti Reaction in the Energy Regime of Supernova Nucleosynthesis

The 44Ti(t1/2=59 yr) nuclide, an important signature of supernova nucleosynthesis, has recently been observed as live radioactivity by gamma-ray astronomy from the Cas A remnant. We investigate in the laboratory the major 44Ti production reaction 40Ca(alpha, gamma)44Ti (Ec.m. approximately 0.6-1.2 MeV/u by direct off-line counting of 44Ti nuclei. The yield, significantly higher than inferred from previous experiments, is analyzed in terms of a statistical model using microscopic nuclear inputs. The associated stellar rate has important astrophysical consequences, increasing the calculated supernova 44Ti yield by a factor approximately 2 over previous estimates and bringing it closer to Cas A observations.

Preparation of actinide targets by molecular plating for coulomb excitation studies at ATLAS

Molecular plating is now routinely used to prepare sources and targets of actinide elements. Although the technique is simple and fairly reproducible, because of the radioactive nature of the target it is very useful to record various parameters in the preparation of such targets. At Argonne, {approximately}200 {micro}g/cm{sup 2} thick targets of Pu and Cm were required for Coulomb Excitation (COULEX) Studies with the Argonne-Notre Dame BGO gamma ray facility and later with the GAMMASPHERE. These targets were plated on 50 mg/cm{sup 2} Au backing and were covered with 150 {micro}g/cm{sup 2} Au foil. Targets of {sup 239}Pu, {sup 240}Pu, {sup 242}Pu, {sup 244}Pu and {sup 248}Cm were prepared by dissolving the material in isopropyl alcohol and electroplating the actinide ions by applying 600 volts. The amount of these materials on the target was determined by alpha particle counting and gamma ray counting. Details of the molecular plating and counting will be discussed.

Direct Evidence for Octupole Deformation in Ba146 and the Origin of Large E1 Moment Variations in Reflection-Asymmetric Nuclei

Despite the more than 1 order of magnitude difference between the measured dipole moments in ^{144}Ba and ^{146}Ba, the octupole correlations in ^{146}Ba are found to be as strong as those in ^{144}Ba with a similarly large value of B(E3;3^{-}→0^{+}) determined as 48(+21-29)  W.u. The new results not only establish unambiguously the presence of a region of octupole deformation centered on these neutron-rich Ba isotopes, but also manifest the dependence of the electric dipole moments on the occupancy of different neutron orbitals in nuclei with enhanced octupole strength, as revealed by fully microscopic calculations.

Cold and hot binary and ternary fission yields in the spontaneous fission of 252Cf

The spontaneous fission (SF) of 252Cf has been studied via γ-γ-γ coincidence and light charged particle—γ-γ coincidence with Gammasphere. The yields of correlated Mo-Ba pairs in binary fission with 0–10 neutron emission have been remeasured with an uncompressed cube. The previous hot fission mode with 8–10 neutron emission seen in the Mo-Ba split is found to be smaller than earlier results but still present. New 0n binary SF yields are reported. By gating on the light charged particles detected in ΔE-E detectors and γ-γ coincidence with Gammasphere, the relative yields of correlated pairs in alpha ternary fission with zero to 6n emission are observed for the first time. The peak occurs around the α2n channel. A number of correlated pairs are identified in ternary fission with 10Be as the light charged particle. We observed only cold, 0n10Be and little, if any, hot, xn10Be channels.

Isomer depletion as experimental evidence of nuclear excitation by electron capture

The atomic nucleus and its electrons are often thought of as independent systems that are held together in the atom by their mutual attraction. Their interaction, however, leads to other important effects, such as providing an additional decay mode for excited nuclear states, whereby the nucleus releases energy by ejecting an atomic electron instead of by emitting a γ-ray. This ‘internal conversion’ has been known for about a hundred years and can be used to study nuclei and their interaction with their electrons. In the inverse process—nuclear excitation by electron capture (NEEC)—a free electron is captured into an atomic vacancy and can excite the nucleus to a higher-energy state, provided that the kinetic energy of the free electron plus the magnitude of its binding energy once captured matches the nuclear energy difference between the two states. NEEC was predicted in 1976 and has not hitherto been observed. Here we report evidence of NEEC in molybdenum-93 and determine the probability and cross-section for the process in a beam-based experimental scenario. Our results provide a standard for the assessment of theoretical models relevant to NEEC, which predict cross-sections that span many orders of magnitude. The greatest practical effect of the NEEC process may be on the survival of nuclei in stellar environments, in which it could excite isomers (that is, long-lived nuclear states) to shorter-lived states. Such excitations may reduce the abundance of the isotope after its production. This is an example of ‘isomer depletion’, which has been investigated previously through other reactions, but is used here to obtain evidence for NEEC.

ATLAS with CARIBU: A Laboratory Portrait

The Argonne Tandem Linac Accelerator System (ATLAS) is the worlds first superconducting accelerator for projectiles heavier than the electron. This unique system is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national user research facility open to scientists from all over the world. It is located within the Physics Division at Argonne National Laboratory and is one of five large scientific user facilities located at the laboratory.

Studies of neutron-deficient nuclei near the Z = 82 shell closure via cold fusion reactions

We have recently performed in-beam experiments using Gammasphere + FMA to measure excited states in proton-rich Au, Hg, Tl and Pb isotopes. In these studies, the use of the FMA is essential in order to differentiate evaporation residues from the large fission background which dominates the reaction cross-section. In addition, we have found that using near-symmetric reactions at bombarding energies near the Coulomb barrier is beneficial in performing these studies. By keeping the bombarding energy low, fission is minimized and the reaction products are concentrated in only a few channels. New results have recently been obtained using the 90Zr+92Mo reaction to study 181Tl and 181Pb via the 1p and 1n channels, respectively.

Response of BGO detectors to photons of 3–50 MeV energy

Abstract The response of an array of 7 hexagonal BGO detectors each 7.5 cm long (6.7 radiation lengths) with 3.6 cm side-to-side distance was measured using monochromatic photons from the tagged-photon facility at the electron accelerator MAMI A at Mainz. The experimental spectra of the deposited energy for a single detector and for the array of seven modules compare very well with the predictions of Monte Carlo shower simulations using the code GEANT3. Significant improvement of the energy resolution is observed for the summed energy spectra compared to the resolution of a single module. This improvement deteriorates at higher photon energies because the length of the detector is not sufficient to absorb the forward component of the electromagnetic shower.