Dissipative Reactions with Intermediate-Energy Beams: A Novel Approach to Populate Complex-Structure States in Rare Isotopes.

A novel pathway for the formation of multiparticle-multihole excited states in rare isotopes is reported from highly energy- and momentum-dissipative inelastic-scattering events measured in reactions of an intermediate-energy beam of ^{38}Ca on a Be target. The negative-parity, complex-structure final states in ^{38}Ca are observed following the in-beam γ-ray spectroscopy of events in the ^{9}Be(^{38}Ca,^{38}Ca+γ)X reaction in which the scattered projectile loses longitudinal momentum of order Δp_{||}=700  MeV/c. The characteristics of the observed final states are discussed and found to be consistent with the formation of excited states involving the rearrangement of multiple nucleons in a single, highly energetic projectile-target collision.

Publisher's Note: Direct Lifetime Measurements of the Excited States in ^{72}Ni [Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 122502 (2016)].

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.

Extending the Southern Shore of the Island of Inversion to ^{28}F.

Detailed spectroscopy of the neutron-unbound nucleus ^{28}F has been performed for the first time following proton/neutron removal from ^{29}Ne/^{29}F beams at energies around 230  MeV/nucleon. The invariant-mass spectra were reconstructed for both the ^{27}F^{(*)}+n and ^{26}F^{(*)}+2n coincidences and revealed a series of well-defined resonances. A near-threshold state was observed in both reactions and is identified as the ^{28}F ground state, with S_{n}(^{28}F)=-199(6)  keV, while analysis of the 2n decay channel allowed a considerably improved S_{n}(^{27}F)=1620(60)  keV to be deduced.

Fragmentation of Single-Particle Strength around the Doubly Magic Nucleus ^{132}Sn and the Position of the 0f_{5/2} Proton-Hole State in ^{131}In.

Spectroscopic factors of neutron-hole and proton-hole states in ^{131}Sn and ^{131}In, respectively, were measured using one-nucleon removal reactions from doubly magic ^{132}Sn at relativistic energies. For ^{131}In, a 2910(50)-keV γ ray was observed for the first time and tentatively assigned to a decay from a 5/2^{-} state at 3275(50) keV to the known 1/2^{-} level at 365 keV. The spectroscopic factors determined for this new excited state and three other single-hole states provide first evidence for a strong fragmentation of single-hole strength in ^{131}Sn and ^{131}In.

Is the Structure of ^{42}Si Understood?

A more detailed test of the implementation of nuclear forces that drive shell evolution in the pivotal nucleus ^{42}Si-going beyond earlier comparisons of excited-state energies-is important. The two leading shell-model effective interactions, SDPF-MU and SDPF-U-Si, both of which reproduce the low-lying ^{42}Si(2_{1}^{+}) energy, but whose predictions for other observables differ significantly, are interrogated by the population of states in neutron-rich ^{42}Si with a one-proton removal reaction from ^{43}P projectiles at 81  MeV/nucleon. The measured cross sections to the individual ^{42}Si final states are compared to calculations that combine eikonal reaction dynamics with these shell-model nuclear structure overlaps.

Erratum: Sensitivity of (d,p) Reactions to High n-p Momenta and the Consequences for Nuclear Spectroscopy Studies [Phys. Rev. Lett. 117, 162502 (2016)].

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.117.

Gamma Decay of Unbound Neutron-Hole States in ^{133}Sn.

Excited states in the nucleus ^{133}Sn, with one neutron outside the double magic ^{132}Sn core, were populated following one-neutron knockout from a ^{134}Sn beam on a carbon target at relativistic energies at the Radioactive Isotope Beam Factory at RIKEN. Besides the γ rays emitted in the decay of the known neutron single-particle states in ^{133}Sn additional γ strength in the energy range 3.5-5.

Observation of the Isovector Giant Monopole Resonance via the ^{28}Si(^{10}Be,^{10}B^{*}[1.74 MeV]) Reaction at 100 AMeV.

The (^{10}Be,^{10}B^{*}[1.74  MeV]) charge-exchange reaction at 100  AMeV is presented as a new probe for isolating the isovector (ΔT=1) nonspin-transfer (ΔS=0) response of nuclei, with ^{28}Si being the first nucleus studied. By using a secondary ^{10}Be beam produced by fast fragmentation of ^{18}O nuclei at the NSCL Coupled Cyclotron Facility, applying the dispersion-matching technique with the S800 magnetic spectrometer to determine the excitation energy in ^{28}Al, and performing high-resolution γ-ray tracking with the Gamma-Ray Energy Tracking In-beam Nuclear Array (GRETINA) to identify the 1022-keV γ ray associated with the decay from the 1.

Sensitivity of (d, p) Reactions to High n-p Momenta and the Consequences for Nuclear Spectroscopy Studies.

Theoretical models of low-energy (d, p) single-neutron transfer reactions are a crucial link between experimentation, nuclear structure, and nuclear astrophysical studies. Whereas reaction models that use local optical potentials are insensitive to short-range physics in the deuteron, we show that including the inherent nonlocality of the nucleon-target interactions and realistic deuteron wave functions generates significant sensitivity to high n-p relative momenta and to the underlying nucleon-nucleon interaction. We quantify this effect upon the deuteron channel distorting potentials within the framework of the adiabatic deuteron breakup model.

Isospin Symmetry at High Spin Studied via Nucleon Knockout from Isomeric States.

One-neutron knockout reactions have been performed on a beam of radioactive ^{53}Co in a high-spin isomeric state. The analysis is shown to yield a highly selective population of high-spin states in an exotic nucleus with a significant cross section, and hence represents a technique that is applicable to the planned new generation of fragmentation-based radioactive beam facilities. Additionally, the relative cross sections among the excited states can be predicted to a high level of accuracy when reliable shell-model input is available.

Direct Lifetime Measurements of the Excited States in (72)Ni.

The lifetimes of the first excited 2^{+} and 4^{+} states in ^{72}Ni were measured at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory with the recoil-distance Doppler-shift method, a model-independent probe to obtain the reduced transition probability. Excited states in ^{72}Ni were populated by the one-proton knockout reaction of an intermediate energy ^{73}Cu beam. γ-ray-recoil coincidences were detected with the γ-ray tracking array GRETINA and the S800 spectrograph.

Inverse Kinematic Study of the (26g)Al(d,p)(27)Al Reaction and Implications for Destruction of (26)Al in Wolf-Rayet and Asymptotic Giant Branch Stars.

In Wolf-Rayet and asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars, the (26g)Al(p,γ)(27)Si reaction is expected to govern the destruction of the cosmic γ-ray emitting nucleus (26)Al. The rate of this reaction, however, is highly uncertain due to the unknown properties of key resonances in the temperature regime of hydrogen burning. We present a high-resolution inverse kinematic study of the (26g)Al(d,p)(27)Al reaction as a method for constraining the strengths of key astrophysical resonances in the (26g)Al(p,γ)(27)Si reaction.

Observation of a p-wave one-neutron halo configuration in (37)Mg.

Cross sections of 1n-removal reactions from the neutron-rich nucleus (37)Mg on C and Pb targets and the parallel momentum distributions of the (37)Mg residues from the C target have been measured at 240  MeV/nucleon. A combined analysis of these distinct nuclear- and Coulomb-dominated reaction data shows that the (37)Mg ground state has a small 1n separation energy of 0.22(-0.

Deformation-driven p-wave halos at the drip line: 31Ne.

The halo structure of 31Ne is studied using 1n-removal reactions on C and Pb targets at 230  MeV/nucleon. A combined analysis of the cross sections of these nuclear and Coulomb dominated reactions that feed directly the 30Ne ground-state reveals 31Ne to have a small neutron separation energy, 0.15(-0.

Nuclear structure towards N = 40 60Ca: in-beam γ-ray spectroscopy of 58,60Ti.

Excited states in the neutron-rich N = 38, 36 nuclei (60)Ti and (58)Ti were populated in nucleon-removal reactions from (61)V projectiles at 90 MeV/nucleon. The γ-ray transitions from such states in these Ti isotopes were detected with the advanced γ-ray tracking array GRETINA and were corrected event by event for large Doppler shifts (v/c ∼ 0.4) using the γ-ray interaction points deduced from online signal decomposition.

Mirror energy differences at large isospin studied through direct two-nucleon knockout.

The first spectroscopy of excited states in 52Ni (T(z)=-2) and 51Co (T(z)=-3/2) has been obtained using the highly selective two-neutron knockout reaction. Mirror energy differences between isobaric analogue states in these nuclei and their mirror partners are interpreted in terms of isospin nonconserving effects. A comparison between large-scale shell-model calculations and data provides the most compelling evidence to date that both electromagnetic and an additional isospin nonconserving interactions for J=2 couplings, of unknown origin, are required to obtain good agreement.

Correlations in intermediate energy two-proton removal reactions.

We report final-state-exclusive measurements of the light charged fragments in coincidence with (26)Ne residual nuclei following the direct two-proton removal from a neutron-rich (28)Mg secondary beam. A Dalitz-plot analysis and comparisons with simulations show that a majority of the triple-coincidence events with two protons display phase-space correlations consistent with the (two-body) kinematics of a spatially correlated pair-removal mechanism. The fraction of such correlated events, 56(12)%, is consistent with the fraction of the calculated cross section, 64%, arising from spin S=0 two-proton configurations in the entrance-channel (shell-model) (28)Mg ground state wave function.

Knockout reactions from p-shell nuclei: tests of ab initio structure models.

Absolute cross sections have been determined following single neutron knockout reactions from 10Be and 10C at intermediate energy. Nucleon density distributions and bound-state wave function overlaps obtained from both variational Monte Carlo (VMC) and no core shell model (NCSM) ab initio calculations have been incorporated into the theoretical description of knockout reactions. Comparison to experimental cross sections demonstrates that the VMC approach, with the inclusion of 3-body forces, provides the best overall agreement while the NCSM and conventional shell-model calculations both overpredict the cross sections by 20% to 30% for 10Be and by 40% to 50% for 10C, respectively.

Mechanisms in knockout reactions.

We report the first detailed study of the relative importance of the stripping and diffraction mechanisms involved in nucleon knockout reactions, by the use of a coincidence measurement of the residue and fast proton following one-proton knockout reactions. The measurements used the S800 spectrograph in combination with the HiRA detector array at the NSCL. Results for the reactions 9Be(9C,8B+X)Y and 9Be(8B,7Be+X)Y are presented and compared with theoretical predictions for the two reaction mechanisms calculated using the eikonal model.

Two-nucleon knockout spectroscopy at the limits of nuclear stability.

Sudden single-nucleon removal reactions from fast radioactive beams are now key to studies of the structure of rare isotopes. The sensitivity of the heavy residue's parallel momentum distribution to the orbital angular momentum of the removed nucleon is a crucial feature with a high spectroscopic value. Two-nucleon removal reactions provide experimental reach toward the rarest nuclear species.

Spectroscopy of 36Mg: interplay of normal and intruder configurations at the neutron-rich boundary of the "island of inversion".

We report on the first spectroscopy study of the very neutron-rich nucleus (36)(12)Mg24 using the direct two-proton knockout reaction 9Be(38Si,36Mg+gamma)X at 83 MeV/nucleon. The energy of the first excited 2+ state of 36Mg, E(2+(1)=660(6) keV, was measured. The magnitude of the partial cross sections to the ground state and the 2+(1) state is indicative of strong intruder admixtures in the lowest-lying states as suggested by Monte Carlo shell-model calculations.

Selective population and neutron decay of an excited state of 23O.

We have observed a resonance in neutron-fragment coincidence measurements that is presumably the first excited state of 23O at 2.8(1) MeV excitation energy which decays into the ground state of 22O. This interpretation is consistent with theory.

Relating breakup and incomplete fusion of weakly bound nuclei through a classical trajectory model with stochastic breakup.

A classical dynamical model that treats breakup stochastically is presented for low energy reactions of weakly bound nuclei. The three-dimensional model allows a consistent calculation of breakup, incomplete, and complete fusion cross sections. The model is assessed by comparing the breakup observables with continuum discretized coupled-channel quantum mechanical predictions, which are found to be in reasonable agreement.

Structure of 12Be: intruder d-wave strength at N=8.

The breaking of the N=8 shell-model magic number in the 12Be ground state has been determined to include significant occupancy of the intruder d-wave orbital. This is in marked contrast with all other N=8 isotones, both more and less exotic than 12Be. The occupancies of the [FORMULA: SEE TEXT]orbital and the [FORMULA: SEE TEXT], intruder orbital were deduced from a measurement of neutron removal from a high-energy 12Be beam leading to bound and unbound states in 11Be.

'Magic' nucleus 42Si.

Nuclear shell structures--the distribution of the quantum states of individual protons and neutrons--provide one of our most important guides for understanding the stability of atomic nuclei. Nuclei with 'magic numbers' of protons and/or neutrons (corresponding to closed shells of strongly bound nucleons) are particularly stable. Whether the major shell closures and magic numbers change in very neutron-rich nuclei (potentially causing shape deformations) is a fundamental, and at present open, question.