Z.Y. Xu

β-decay of neutron-rich Z∼60 nuclei and the origin of rare earth elements

A large fraction of the rare-earth elements observed in the solar system is produced in the astrophysical rapid neutron capture process (r-process). However, current stellar models cannot completely explain the relative abundance of these elements partially because of nuclear physics uncertainties. To address this problem, a β-decay spectroscopy experiment was performed at RI Beam Factory (RIBF) at RIKEN, aimed at studying a wide range of very neutron-rich nuclei with Z∼60 that are progenitors of the rare-earth elements with mass number A∼460. The experiment provides a test of nuclear models as well as experimental inputs for r-process calculations. This contribution presents the experimental setup and some preliminary results of the experiment.

Nuclear structure and β -decay schemes for Te nuclides beyond N=82

We study for the first time the internal structure of 140Te through the beta-delayed gamma-ray spectroscopy of 140Sb. The very neutron-rich 140Sb, Z = 51 and N = 89, ions were produced by the in-flight fission of 238U beam on a 9Be target at 345 MeV per nucleon at the Radioactive Ion Beam Factory, RIKEN. The half-life and spin-parity of 140Sb are reported as 124(30) ms and (4-), respectively. In addition to the excited states of 140Te produced by the beta-decay branch, the beta-delayed one-neutron and two-neutron emission branches were also established. By identifying the first 2+ and 4+ excited states of 140Te, we found that Te isotopes persist their vibrator character with E(4+)/E(2+) = 2. We discuss the distinctive features manifest in this region, such as valence neutron symmetry and asymmetry, revealed in pairs of isotopes with the same neutron holes and particles with respect to N = 82.

GAMMA-RAY SPECTROSCOPY IN THE VICINITY OF 108 Zr

F. Browne et al.; 4 pags.; 2 figs.; Presented at the Zakopane Conference on Nuclear Physics “Extremes of the Nuclear Landscape”, Zakopane, Poland, August 31–September 7, 2014; PACS numbers: 21.10.Re, 21.10.Tg, 23.20.Js, 27.60.+j

β-decay spectroscopy at RIBF: The EURICA project

EURICA is a project at the RIKEN Nishina Center aimed at studying a wide range of exotic nuclei through β-decay measurements and high-resolution γ-ray spectroscopy. During its first two years of operation, about 80 days of beam time have been dedicated to the project allowing the exploration of several very exotic regions of the nuclear chart, which include key nuclei such as 78Ni, 100Sn, 110Zr, 128Pd, and 138Sn. Data analysis of the EURICA experiments is currently ongoing.

Discovery of Rb 72 : A Nuclear Sandbank Beyond the Proton Drip Line

In this Letter, the observation of two previously unknown isotopes is presented for the first time: ^{72}Rb with 14 observed events and ^{77}Zr with one observed event. From the nonobservation of the less proton-rich nucleus ^{73}Rb, we derive an upper limit for the ground-state half-life of 81xa0ns, consistent with the previous upper limit of 30xa0ns. For ^{72}Rb, we have measured a half-life of 103(22)xa0ns. This observation of a relatively long-lived odd-odd nucleus, ^{72}Rb, with a less exotic odd-even neighbor, ^{73}Rb, being unbound shows the diffuseness of the proton drip line and the possibility of sandbanks to exist beyond it. The ^{72}Rb half-life is consistent with a 5^{+}→5/2^{-} proton decay with an energy of 800-900xa0keV, in agreement with the atomic mass evaluation proton-separation energy as well as results from the finite-range droplet model and shell model calculations using the GXPF1A interaction. However, we cannot explicitly exclude the possibility of a proton transition between 9^{+}(^{72}Rb)→9/2^{+}(^{71}Kr) isomeric states with a broken mirror symmetry. These results imply that ^{72}Kr is a strong waiting point in x-ray burst rp-process scenarios.

Is seniority a partial dynamic symmetry in the first ν g 9/2 shell?

Abstract The low-lying structures of the midshell ν g 9 / 2 Ni isotopes 72Ni and 74Ni have been investigated at the RIBF facility in RIKEN within the EURICA collaboration. Previously unobserved low-lying states were accessed for the first time following β decay of the mother nuclei 72Co and 74Co. As a result, we provide a complete picture in terms of the seniority scheme up to the first ( 8 + ) levels for both nuclei. The experimental results are compared to shell-model calculations in order to define to what extent the seniority quantum number is preserved in the first neutron g 9 / 2 shell. We find that the disappearance of the seniority isomerism in the ( 8 1 + ) states can be explained by a lowering of the seniority-four ( 6 + ) levels as predicted years ago. For 74Ni, the internal de-excitation pattern of the newly observed ( 6 2 + ) state supports a restoration of the normal seniority ordering up to spin J = 4 . This property, unexplained by the shell-model calculations, is in agreement with a dominance of the single-particle spherical regime near 78Ni.