Abstract: We study the meson-baryon interaction with J(P) = 1/2 using the hidden-gauge Lagrangians and mixing pseudoscalar meson-baryon with the vector meson-baryon states in a coupled channels scheme with pi N, eta N, K Lambda, K Sigma, rho N, and pi Delta (d wave). We fit the subtraction constants of each channel to the S-11 partial wave amplitude of the pi N scattering data extracted from the partial wave analysis of the George Washington group. We find two poles that we associate to the N*(1535) and the N*(1650) resonances, with negative subtraction constants of natural size, and compare the results with empirical determinations of these pole positions. We calculate the branching ratios for the different channels of each resonance and we find a good agreement with the experimental data. The cross section for the pi(-)p -> eta n scattering is also evaluated and compared with experiment.

Abstract: Using an interaction extracted from the local hidden-gauge Lagrangians, which brings together vector and pseudoscalar mesons, and the coupled channels rho N (s wave), pi N (d wave), pi Delta (s wave), and pi Delta (d wave), we look in the region ofv root s = 1400-1850 MeV and find two resonances dynamically generated by the interaction of these channels, which are naturally associated to N*(1520)(3/2(-)) and N*(1700)(3/2(-)). N*(1700)(3/2(-)) appears neatly as a pole in the complex plane. The free parameters of the theory are chosen to fit the pi N (d-wave) data. Both the real and imaginary parts of the pi N amplitude vanish in our approach in the vicinity of this resonance, which is similar to what happens in experimental determinations and which makes this signal very weak in this channel. This feature could explain why this resonance does not show up in some experimental analyses, but the situation is analogous to that of the f(0)(980) resonance, the second scalar meson after sigma[f(0)(500)] in the pi pi(d-wave) amplitude. The unitary coupled channel approach followed here, in connectionwith the experimental data, leads automatically to a pole in the 1700-MeV region and makes this second 3/2-resonance unavoidable.

Abstract: Linear polarization and angular correlations of gamma-rays depopulating excited states in the neutron-deficient nucleus Ru-94(44)50 have been measured, enabling firm spin-parity assignments for several excited states in this nucleus. The deduced multipolarities of strong transitions in the yrast structure were found to be mostly of stretched M1, E1, and E2 types and, in most cases, in agreement with previous tentative assignments. The deduced multipolarity of the 1869 keV and the connecting 257 and 1641 keV transitions indicates that the state at 6358 keV excitation energy has spin parity 12(1)(-) rather than 12(3)(+) as proposed in previous works. The presence of a 12(1)(-) state is interpreted within the framework of large-scale shell-model calculations as a pure proton-hole state dominated by the pi(p(1/2)(-1)circle times g(9/2)(-5)) and pi(p(3/2)(-1) g(9/2)(-5)) configurations. A new positive-parity state is observed at 6103 keV and is tentatively assigned as 12(2)(+). The 14(1)(-) state proposed earlier is reassigned as 13(4)(-) and is interpreted as being dominated by neutron particle-hole core excitations. The strengths of several E1 transitions have been measured and are found to provide a signature of core-excited configurations.

Abstract: The population of isomeric states in the prompt decay of fission fragments-so-called isomeric yield ratios (IYRs)-is known to be sensitive to the angular momentum J that the fragment emerged with, and may therefore contain valuable information on the mechanism behind the fission process. In this work, we investigate how changes in the fissioning system impact the measured IYRs of fission fragments to learn more about what parameters affect angular momentum generation. To enable this, a new technique for measuring IYRs is first demonstrated. It is based on the time of arrival of discrete gamma rays, and has the advantage that it enables the study of the IYR as a function of properties of the partner nucleus. This technique is used to extract the IYR of 134Te, strongly populated in actinide fission, from the three different fissioning systems: 232Th(n, f), 238U(n, f), at two different neutron energies, as well as 252Cf(sf). The impacts of changing the fissioning system, the compound nuclear excitation energy, the minimum J of the binary partner, and the number of neutrons emitted on the IYR of 134Te are determined. The decay code TALYS is used in combination with the fission simulation code FREYA to calculate the primary fragment angular momentum from the IYR. We find that the IYR of 134Te has a slope of 0.004 +/- 0.002 with increase in compound nucleus (CN) mass. When investigating the impact on the IYR of increased CN excitation energy, we find no change with an energy increase similar to the difference between thermal and fast fission. By varying the mass of the partner fragment emerging with 134Te, it is revealed that the IYR of 134Te is independent of the total amount of prompt neutrons emitted from the fragment pair. This indicates that neutrons carry minimal angular momentum away from the fission fragments. Comparisons with the FREYA+TALYS simulations reveal that the average angular momentum in 134Te following 238U(n, f) is 6.0 h over bar . This is not consistent with the value deduced from recent CGMF calculations. Finally, the IYR sensitivity to the angular momentum of the primary fragment is discussed. These results are not only important to help understanding the underlying mechanism in nuclear fission, but can also be used to constrain and benchmark fission models, and are relevant to the gamma -ray heating problem of reactors.

Abstract: The beta decays of Nb-103,Nb-104m were studied with the Summing NaI(Tl) (SuN) detector at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory. The beta-decay feeding intensity distribution I-beta(E) for each isotope was extracted by measuring gamma rays in coincidence with an emitted electron. The I-beta(E) was extracted via the total absorption spectroscopy technique. The I-beta(E) for each nucleus was compared to predictions made by the quasiparticle random-phase approximation (QRPA) model which is commonly used to calculate beta-decay properties for astrophysical applications. The main goal was to provide experimental data for neutron-rich nuclei, relevant to the astrophysical r process. In addition, the extracted beta-decay feeding intensity distributions can lead to a better understanding of nuclear structure in a region of rapid structure changes around A = 100. Finally, experimental data for Nb-104m are also of interest to antineutrino studies of nuclear reactors.