β-decay of 130

5 pages, 2 tables, 3 figures.--PACS nrs.: 23.40.Hc; 27.20.+n.The beta decay of O-13 has been studied at the IGISOL facility of the Jyvaskyla accelerator centre (Finland). By developing a low-energy isotope-separated beam of O-13 and using a modern segmented charged-particle detector array an improved measurement of the delayed proton spectrum was possible. Protons with energy up to more than 12 MeV are measured and the corresponding log(ft) values extracted. A revised decay scheme is constructed. The connection to molecular states and the shell model is discussed.This work was supported by the Academy of Finland under the Finnish Centre of Excellence Programme 2000–2005 (Project No. 44875, Nuclear and Condensed Matter Physics Programme at JYFL), by the European Union Fifth Framework Programme “Improving Human Potential - Access to Research Infrastructure” contract no. HPRI-CT-1999-00044, by the Spanish CICYT Agency under Project number FPA2002-04181-C04-02, and by the EU-RI3 (Integrated Infrastructure Initiative) under contract no 506065.Peer reviewe

The β-decay approach for studying 12C

6 pags., 3 figs. -- 9th International Conference on Clustering Aspects of Nuclear Structure and Dynamics (CLUSTERS'07) 3–7 September 2007, Stratford upon Avon, UKThe β-decays of the mirror nuclei 12B and 12N both populate states in 12C and they are therefore a precious source of information about this nucleus. Due to the selection rules of β-decay only 0+, 1+ and 2+ states are populated. This allows a very clean study of unbound states just above the 3α-threshold with those spin and parities. This probe has been applied in two experiments using two complementary experimental techniques: in the first the three α-particles emitted after β-decay are measured in coincidence in separate detectors using the ISOL method, while in the second method 12B and 12N are implanted in a detector and the summed energy of the three α-particles is measured directly. Preliminary results from the two approaches are presented. © 2008 IOP Publishing Ltd

Branching ratios in the β decays of N12 and B12

Absolute branching ratios to unbound states in C12 populated in the β decays of N12 and B12 are reported. Clean sources of N12 and B12 were obtained using the isotope separation on-line (ISOL) method. The relative branching ratios to the different populated states were extracted using single-alpha as well as complete kinematics triple-alpha spectra. These two largely independent methods give consistent results. Absolute normalization is achieved via the precisely known absolute branching ratio to the bound 4.44 MeV state in C12. The extracted branching ratios to the unbound states are a factor of three more precise than previous measurements. Branching ratios in the decay of Na20 are also extracted and used to check the results. © 2009 The American Physical Society.Supported by the Academy of Finland (Project No. 44875), by the Spanish Agency CICYT (Nos. FPA2007–62170 and FPA2007–62216), by the European Union Sixth Framework Programme “EURONS” (No. 506065), by the Swedish Research Council, and the Knut and Alice Wallenberg foundation.Peer Reviewe

Breakup channels for C12 triple-α continuum states

The triple-α-particle breakup of states in the triple-α continuum of C12 has been investigated by way of coincident detection of all three α particles of the breakup. The states have been fed in the β decay of N12 and B12, and the α particles measured using a setup that covers all of the triple-α phase space. Contributions from the breakup through the Be8(0+) ground state as well as other channels-interpreted as breakup through excited energies in Be8-have been identified. Spins and parities of C12 triple-α continuum states are deduced from the measured phase-space distributions for breakup through Be8 above the ground state by comparison to a fully symmetrized sequential R-matrix description of the breakup. At around 10 MeV in C12, the breakup is found to be dominated by 0+ strength breaking up through the ghost of the Be8(0+) ground state with L=0 angular momentum between the first emitted α particle and the intermediate Be8 nucleus. For C12 energies above the 12.7 MeV 1+ state, however, L=2 breakup of a C12 2+ state through the Be8(2+) excited state dominates. Furthermore, the possibility of a 2+ excited state in the 9-12 MeV region of C12 is investigated. © 2009 The American Physical Society.Supported by the Academy of Finland under the Finnish Center of Excellence Programme 2000–2005 (Project No. 44875, Nuclear and Condensed Matter Physics Programme at JYFL); by the European Union Fifth Framework Programme “Improving Human Potential—Access to Research Infrastructure,” Contract No. HPRI-CT-1999-00044; by the Spanish CICYT Agency under project number FPA2007-62170 and the MICINN Consolider project CSD2007-00042; and by the EU-RI3 (Integgrated Infrastructure Initiative) under Contract No. 506065.Peer Reviewe

R-matrix analysis of the β decays of N12 and B12

The β decays of N12 and B12 have been studied at KVI and JYFL to resolve the composition of the broad and interfering 0+ and 2 + strengths in the triple-α continuum. For the first time a complete treatment of 3α decay is presented including all major breakup channels. A multilevel, many-channel R-matrix formalism has been developed for the complete description of the breakup in combination with the recently published separate analysis of angular correlations. We find that, in addition to the Hoyle state at 7.65 MeV, more than one 0+ and 2+ state is needed to reproduce the spectra. Broad 03+ and 22+ states are found between 10.5 and 12 MeV in this work. The presence of β strength up to the N12 Q-value window suggests the presence of additional 0+ and 2 + components in the C12 structure at energies above 12.7 MeV. © 2010 The American Physical Society.Supported by the Academy of Finland (Project No. 44875), by the Spanish Agency CICYT (Nos. FPA2005-02379 and FPA2007-62216) and MEC Consolider Project No. CSD2007-00042, by the Belgian IAP P6/23 project and FWO-Vlaanderen, by the European Union sixth Framework Programme “EURONS”(No. 506065), and by the Swedish Research Council and the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation. T.N. is a Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Research Fellow supported by a grant from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation. The work at KVI was performed as part of Program 48 (TRIµP) of the Stichting voor Fundamenteel Onderzoek der Materie (FOM).Peer Reviewe

Beta decay half-life of Ra-231

2 pages, 1 table, 1 figure.-- PACS nrs.: 21.10.Tg, 23.20.Lv, 27.90.+b.The low-energy structure of Ac-231 has been investigated by means of γ, conversion electrons, γ-γ and γ-e- spectroscopy following the β(-)-decay of Ra-231. Here, we report on the precise determination of the Ra-231 β-decay half-life.Peer reviewe

β-decay of 130

5 pages, 2 tables, 3 figures.--PACS nrs.: 23.40.Hc; 27.20.+n.The beta decay of O-13 has been studied at the IGISOL facility of the Jyvaskyla accelerator centre (Finland). By developing a low-energy isotope-separated beam of O-13 and using a modern segmented charged-particle detector array an improved measurement of the delayed proton spectrum was possible. Protons with energy up to more than 12 MeV are measured and the corresponding log(ft) values extracted. A revised decay scheme is constructed. The connection to molecular states and the shell model is discussed.This work was supported by the Academy of Finland under the Finnish Centre of Excellence Programme 2000–2005 (Project No. 44875, Nuclear and Condensed Matter Physics Programme at JYFL), by the European Union Fifth Framework Programme “Improving Human Potential - Access to Research Infrastructure” contract no. HPRI-CT-1999-00044, by the Spanish CICYT Agency under Project number FPA2002-04181-C04-02, and by the EU-RI3 (Integrated Infrastructure Initiative) under contract no 506065.Peer reviewe

Lifetime measurement of the 167.1 keV state in Ar-41

4 pages, 3 figures, 1 table.-- PACS nrs.: 21.10.Tg; 23.40.−s; 27.40.+z.The Advanced-Time-Delayed method was used to measure lifetimes of the states in Ar-41 populated in the β decay of Cl-41. The nuclei Cl-41 were produced at ISOLDE by 1.4-GeV proton bombardment of a thick UCx target and mass-separated as molecular ions, XeCl+. Our measured half-life of the 167.1-keV state, T(1/2) = 315(15) ps, is significantly lower than the previously measured value of 410(30) ps. We have also determined T(1/2) = 260(80) ps and T(1/2) ≤ 46 ps for the 515.9- and 1867.7-keV states, respectively. These are the shortest lifetimes measured so far with the ultrafast timing method using the new LaBr3(Ce) crystals for γ-ray detection.This work was performed as part of an undergraduate research project (ERW) at the Physics Department of the University of Notre Dame. Fast-timing detectors and electronics were provided by the Fast Timing Pool of Electronics. This study was supported in part by the NSF PHY04-57120, Swedish Research Council, BMBF Grant No. 06KY205I, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (WBW), Foundation for Polish Science (AK), the European Union Sixth Framework through RII3-EURONS (Contract No. 506065), and the EURTD project TARGISOL (HPRI-CT-2001-50033).Peer reviewe

The single-particle and collective features in the nuclei just above Sn-132

6 pages, 2 figures.-- PACS nrs.: 24.30.Cz, 25.70.Gh.-- Presented at the Zakopane Conference on Nuclear Physics (Zakopane, Poland, Sep. 4–10, 2006).The Advanced Time Delayed method has been used to measure the lifetimes of excited states in the exotic nuclei Sb-134, Sb-135 and Te-136 populated in the beta decay of Sb-134, Sb-135 and Te-136, respectively. High purity Sn beams were extracted at the ISOLDE separator using a novel production technique utilizing the molecular SnS+ beams to isolate Sn from contaminating other fission products. Among the new results we have identified the 1/2+ state in Sb-135 and its E2 transition to the lower-lying 5/2+ state was found to be surprisingly collective. This measurement represents also one of the first applications of the LaBr3 scintillator to ultra fast timing.This work was supported by the NSF PHY04-57120, NSF PHY-0555366, Swedish Research Council, BMBF grant 06KY205I, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (WBW), the European Union Sixth Framework through RII3-EURONS (contract no. 506065) and the EU-RTD project TARGISOL (HPRI-CT-2001-50033).Peer reviewe

On the β-decay of C-9

24 pages, 9 figures.-- PACS nrs.: 23.40.Hc; 27.20.+n; 24.80.+y.-- Available online 17 August 2001.In β-decay experiments on C-9 at CERN/ISOLDE the β-strength was determined to the ground state, the 12.2 MeV excited state and the Isobaric Analog State (IAS) at 14.655 MeV in B-9. A large β-strength asymmetry is deduced for the mirror transitions of C-9 and Li-9 to states around 12 MeV excitation energy. A satisfactory description of the three-body decay from a narrow energy region around the 12.2 MeV resonance is obtained within a sequential model involving the ground and first-excited states of Li-5 and Be-8. From the study of angular correlations the spin of the 12.2 MeV state is determined as 5/2(-). For the first time the population of the IAS is observed in β-decay and new information on the decay of this state is obtained. The advantages of a closely packed. highly segmented detector setup are demonstrated.This work was partly supported by BMBF, contract number 06DA915I and GSI contract number DARIK. The work was also partly supported by the Spanish CICYT “Plan Nacional de Altas Energías” under contract AEN-99-1046-C02-01.Peer reviewe