T. J. Ross

Mixed-symmetry octupole and hexadecapole excitations in the N = 52 isotones

Background: Excitations with mixed proton-neutron symmetry have been previously observed in the N=52 isotones. Besides the well-established quadrupole mixed-symmetry states (MSS), octupole and hexadecapole MSS have been recently proposed for the nuclei Zr92 and Mo94. Purpose: The heaviest stable N=52 isotone Ru96 was investigated to study the evolution of octupole and hexadecapole MSS with increasing proton number. Methods: Two inelastic proton-scattering experiments on Ru96 were performed to extract branching ratios, multipole mixing ratios, and level lifetimes. From the combined data, absolute transition strengths were calculated. Results: Strong M1 transitions between the lowest-lying 3- and 4+ states were observed, providing evidence for a one-phonon mixed-symmetry character of the 32(-) and 42+ states. Conclusions: sdg-IBM-2 calculations were performed for Ru96. The results are in excellent agreement with the experimental data, pointing out a one-phonon hexadecapole mixed-symmetry character of the 42+ state. The 31-||M1||32(-) matrix element is found to scale with the 2s+||M1||2ms+ matrix element.

First observation of low-energy γ-ray enhancement in the rare-earth region

Here, the γ-ray strength function and level density in the quasi-continuum of 151,153Sm have been measured using bismuth germanate shielded Ge clover detectors of the STARLiTeR system. The Compton shields allow an extraction of the γ strength down to unprecedentedly low γ energies of ≈ 500 keV. For the first time an enhanced low-energy γ-ray strength has been observed in the rare-earth region. In addition, for the first time both the upbend and the well-known scissors resonance have been observed simultaneously for the same nucleus. Hauser-Feshbach calculations show that this strength enhancement at low γ energies could have an impact of 2 3 orders of magnitude on the (n, γ) reaction rates for r-process nucleosynthesis.

Surrogate measurement of the 238Pu(n,f) cross section

The neutron-induced fission cross section of 238 Pu was determined using the surrogate ratio method. The (n,f) cross section over an equivalent neutron energy range 5‐20 MeV was deduced from inelastic α-induced fission reactions on 239 Pu, with 235 U(α, α � f )a nd 236 U(α, α � f) used as references. These reference reactions reflect 234 U(n,f )a nd 235 U(n,f) yields, respectively. The deduced 238 Pu(n, f) cross section agrees well with standard data libraries up to ∼10 MeV, although larger values are seen at higher energies. The difference at higher energies is less than 20%.

Study of mixed-symmetry excitations in 96Ru via inelastic proton-scattering

Mixed-symmetry states of octupole (L = 3) and hexadecapole (L = 4) character have been recently proposed in the N = 52 isotones Zr-92 and Mo-94, based on strong M1 transitions to the lowest-lying 3(-) and 4(+) states, respectively. In order to investigate similar excitations in the heaviest stable N = 52 isotone Ru-96, two inelastic proton-scattering experiments have been performed at the Wright Nuclear Structure Laboratory (WNSL), Yale University, USA and the Institute for Nuclear Physics, University of Cologne, Germany. From the combined data of both experiments, absolute E-1, M-1, and E2 transition strengths were extracted, allowing for the identification of candidates for MS octupole and hexadecapole states. The structure of the low-lying 4(+) states is investigated by means of sdg-IBM-2 calculations.

A shell model study of the high spin states of 88Y

Experiments were carried out at the Wright Nuclear Structure Laboratory at Yale University using the 21MV ESTU Tandem Van de Graaff accelerator with the purpose of studying 88Y. A beam of 18O impinged at laboratory energies of 60, 65 and 70 MeV on a 600 μg/cm2 74Ge target with a thick (10mg/cm2) 197Au backing. This experiment was performed with the specific aim of accessing medium spin states of the nucleus of interest. A second experiment was undertaken to populate the nucleus of interest in higher spin states by impinging the same 18O beam on a thin 62 μg/cm2 76Ge target with a 20 μg/cm2 carbon backing at a laboratory beam energy of 90 MeV. Gamma rays emitted following the decay of excited states in 88Y and other nuclei populated in the reactions were measured using the YRAST ball detector array, consisting of 10 Compton suppressed HPGe clover detectors. In conjunction with the experimental study presented here, nuclear shell model calculations using a truncated valence space have also been performed in an attempt to describe the single-particle make-up of the states observed. Preliminary results from these experiments and theoretical calculations are presented.

To the continuum and beyond: Structure of U nuclei

An experiment was performed at the 88-inch cyclotron at LBNL to investigate the structure of uranium isotopes and concurrently test the so-called surrogate ratio method. A 28 MeV proton beam was used to bombard 236U and 238U targets and the outgoing light ions were detected using the STARS silicon telescope allowing isotopic assignments and the excitation energy of the compound nucleus to be measured. A fission detector was placed at backward angles to give particle-fission coincidences, while the six clover germanium detectors of the LIBERACE array were used for particle-γ coincidences. The (p,d) reaction channels on 236U and 238U targets were used as a surrogate to measure the σ(234U(n,f))/σ(236U(n,f)) cross section ratio. The results give reasonable agreement with literature values over an equivalent neutron energy range between 0 MeV and 6 MeV. Structure results in 235U include a new (3/2−) level at 1035 keV, that is tentatively assigned as the 3/2−[501] Nilsson state. The analogue 3/2−[501] state in 237U may be associated with a previously observed level at 1201 keV, whose spin/parity is restricted to Jπ = 3/2− on the basis of newly observed decays to the ground band.