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Thisse, D. et al, Algora, A., & Guadilla, V. (2023). Study of N=50 gap evolution around Z=32: new structure information for Ge-82. Eur. Phys. J. A, 59(7), 153–13pp.
Abstract: Medium spin states of light N = 50 isotones have been populated using fast neutron-induced fission of Th-232. Online prompt gamma spectroscopy has been performed using the hybrid gamma spectrometer nu-Ball coupled to the LICORNE directional neutron source at the ALTO facility of IJCLab. Medium spin states of the neutron-rich nucleus Ge-82 have been investigated using gamma-gamma and gamma-gamma-gamma coincidence data to exploit the resolving power of nu-Ball. Two new transitions were assigned to this nucleus and a new level was placed in the level scheme. We tentatively assigned to this new state a (7(+)) spin-parity, which is interpreted as a new N = 50 core breaking state. This provides further insight into the energy evolution of the N = 50 shell gap toward Ni-78.
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Tain, J. L., Algora, A., Agramunt, J., Guadilla, V., Jordan, M. D., Montaner-Piza, A., et al. (2015). A decay total absorption spectrometer for DESPEC at FAIR. Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A, 803, 36–46.
Abstract: This paper presents the design of a total absorption gamma-ray spectrometer for the determination of beta-decay intensity distributions of exotic nuclear species at the focal plane of the FAIR-NUSTAR Super Fragment Separator. The spectrometer is a key instrument in the DESPEC experiment and the proposed implementation follows extensive design studies and prototype tests. Two options were contemplated, based on Nal(TI) and LaBr3:Ce inorganic scintillation crystals respectively. Monte Carlo simulations and technical considerations determined the optimal configurations consisting of sixteen 15 x 15 x 25 cm(3) crystals for the Nal(Tl) option and one hundred and twenty-eight 5.5 x 5.5 x 11 cm(3) crystals for the LaBr3:Ce option. Minimization of dead material was crucial for maximizing the spectrometer full-energy peak efficiency. Module prototypes were build to verify constructional details and characterize their performance. The measured energy and timing resolution was found to agree rather well with estimates based on simulations of scintillation light transport and collection. The neutron sensitivity of the spectrometer, important when measuring beta-delayed neutron emitters, was investigated by means of Monte Carlo simulations.
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Tain, J. L., Agramunt, J., Algora, A., Aprahamian, A., Cano-Ott, D., Fraile, L. M., et al. (2015). The sensitivity of LaBr3:Ce scintillation detectors to low energy neutrons: Measurement and Monte Carlo simulation. Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A, 774, 17–24.
Abstract: The neutron sensitivity of a cylindrical circle minus 1.5 in x 1.5 in LaBr3:Ce scintillation detector was measured using quasi-monoenergetic neutron beams in the energy range from 40 keV to 2.5 MeV. In this energy range the detector is sensitive to gamma-rays generated in neutron inelastic and capture processes. The experimental energy response was compared with Monte Carlo simulations performed with the Geant4 simulation toolkit using the so-called High Precision Neutron Models. These models rely on relevant information stored in evaluated nuclear data libraries. The performance of the Geant4 Neutron Data Library as well as several standard nuclear data libraries was investigated. In the latter case this was made possible by the use of a conversion tool that allowed the direct use of the data from other libraries in Geant4. Overall it was found that there was good agreement with experiment for some of the neutron data bases like ENDF/B-VII.0 or JENDL-3.3 but not with the others such as ENDF/B-VI.8 or JEFF-3.1.
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Tain, J. L. et al, Valencia, E., Algora, A., Agramunt, J., Rubio, B., Estevez, E., et al. (2015). Enhanced gamma-Ray Emission from Neutron Unbound States Populated in beta Decay. Phys. Rev. Lett., 115(6), 062502–5pp.
Abstract: Total absorption spectroscopy is used to investigate the beta-decay intensity to states above the neutron separation energy followed by gamma-ray emission in Br-87,Br-88 and Rb-94. Accurate results are obtained thanks to a careful control of systematic errors. An unexpectedly large. intensity is observed in all three cases extending well beyond the excitation energy region where neutron penetration is hindered by low neutron energy. The gamma branching as a function of excitation energy is compared to Hauser-Feshbach model calculations. For Br-87 and Br-88 the gamma branching reaches 57% and 20%, respectively, and could be explained as a nuclear structure effect. Some of the states populated in the daughter can only decay through the emission of a large orbital angular momentum neutron with a strongly reduced barrier penetrability. In the case of neutron-rich Rb-94 the observed 4.5% branching is much larger than the calculations performed with standard nuclear statistical model parameters, even after proper correction for fluctuation effects on individual transition widths. The difference can be reconciled by introducing an enhancement of 1 order of magnitude in the photon strength to neutron strength ratio. An increase in the photon strength function of such magnitude for very neutron-rich nuclei, if it proves to be correct, leads to a similar increase in the (n, gamma) cross section that would have an impact on r process abundance calculations.
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Tain, J. L. et al, Algora, A., Estevez, E., Rubio, B., Valencia, E., & Jordan, D. (2011). Beta Decay Studies of Neutron Rich Nuclei Using Total Absorption Gamma-ray Spectroscopy and Delayed Neutron Measurements. J. Korean Phys. Soc., 59(2), 1499–1502.
Abstract: A complete characterisation of the beta-decay of neutron-rich nuclei can be obtained from the measurement of beta-delayed gamma rays and, whenever the process is energetically possible, beta-delayed neutrons. The accurate determination of the beta-intensity distribution and the beta-delayed neutron emission probability is of great relevance in the fields of reactor technology and nuclear astrophysics. A programme for combined measurements using the total absorption gamma-ray spectroscopy technique and both neutron counters and neutron time-of-flight spectrometers is presented.
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Stuhl, L., Krasznahorkay, A., Csatlos, M., Algora, A., Gulyas, J., Kalinka, G., et al. (2014). A neutron spectrometer for studying giant resonances with (p,n) reactions in inverse kinematics. Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A, 736, 1–9.
Abstract: A neutron spectrometer, the European Low-Energy Neutron Spectrometer (ELENS), has been constructed to study exotic nuclei in inverse-kinematics experiments. The spectrometer, which consists of plastic scintillator bars, can be operated in the neutron energy range of 100 keV-10 MeV. The neutron energy is determined using the time-of-flight technique, while the position of the neutron detection is deduced from the time-difference information from photomultipliers attached to both ends of each bar. A novel wrapping method has been developed for the plastic scintillators. The array has a larger than 25% detection efficiency for neutrons of approximately 500 keV in kinetic energy and an angular resolution of less than 1 degrees. Details of the design, construction and experimental tests of the spectrometer will be presented.
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Stanja, J. et al, Agramunt, J., & Algora, A. (2013). Mass spectrometry and decay spectroscopy of isomers across the Z=82 shell closure. Phys. Rev. C, 88(5), 054304–7pp.
Abstract: Recent results from a measurement campaign studying the isomerism in neutron-deficient Tl isotopes are presented. The measurements make use of a nuclear spectroscopy setup coupled to the high-resolution Penningtrap mass spectrometer ISOLTRAP at CERN's radioactive ion-beam facility ISOLDE. The mass values of Tl-190,Tl-194 are improved and a mass-spin-state assignment is carried out. An additional mass measurement of the grandparent nuclide At-198 allows the deduction of the spin-state ordering in Tl-190. As a result, the excitation energies of the isomers in both Tl isotopes are determined for the first time to Eex(Tl-194) = 260(15) keV and E-ex(Tl-190) = 89(12) keV. Furthermore, this allows anchoring of the ground-state and isomer masses of Bi-194, Fr-202, and Ac-206, which are linked by two independent a-decay chains.
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Sohler, D. et al, & Algora, A. (2012). High-spin structure of Pd-104. Phys. Rev. C, 85(4), 044303–13pp.
Abstract: The high-spin structure of the nucleus Pd-104 was studied through the Zr-96(C-13,5n) reaction at incident energies of 51 and 58MeV, using the Euroball IV gamma-ray spectrometer in conjunction with the DIAMANT charged-particle array. Several new medium- and high-spin bands were revealed. The already known positive-parity yrast and the negative-parity cascades were extended up to E-x similar to 13, similar to 11, and similar to 9 MeV with I-pi = (26(+)), I-pi = (23(-)), and (20(-)), respectively. The deduced band structures were compared with Woods-Saxon total Routhian surface (TRS) calculations. In addition, non-yrast low-lying positive-parity bands were identified, which were assigned to soft gamma-vibrational excitations.
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Soderstrom, P. A. et al, Algora, A., & Gadea, A. (2010). Spectroscopy of neutron-rich Dy-168,Dy-170: Yrast band evolution close to the NpNn valence maximum. Phys. Rev. C, 81(3), 034310–5pp.
Abstract: The yrast sequence of the neutron-rich dysprosium isotope Dy-168 has been studied using multinucleon transfer reactions following collisions between a 460-MeV Se-82 beam and an Er-170 target. The reaction products were identified using the PRISMA magnetic spectrometer and the gamma rays detected using the CLARA HPGe-detector array. The 2(+) and 4(+) members of the previously measured ground-state rotational band of Dy-168 have been confirmed and the yrast band extended up to 10(+). A tentative candidate for the 4(+) -> 2(+) transition in Dy-170 was also identified. The data on these nuclei and on the lighter even-even dysprosium isotopes are interpreted in terms of total Routhian surface calculations and the evolution of collectivity in the vicinity of the proton-neutron valence product maximum is discussed.
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Sarriguren, P., Algora, A., & Pereira, J. (2014). Gamow-Teller response in deformed even and odd neutron-rich Zr and Mo isotopes. Phys. Rev. C, 89(3), 034311–13pp.
Abstract: beta-decay properties of neutron-rich Zr and Mo isotopes are investigated within a microscopic theoretical approach based on the proton-neutron quasiparticle random-phase approximation. The underlying mean field is described self-consistently from deformed Skyrme Hartree-Fock calculations with pairing correlations. Residual separable particle-hole and particle-particle forces are also included in the formalism. The structural evolution in these isotopic chains including both even and odd isotopes is analyzed in terms of the equilibrium deformed shapes. Gamow-Teller strength distributions, beta-decay half-lives, and beta-delayed neutron-emission probabilities are studied, stressing their relevance to describe the path of the nucleosynthesis rapid neutron capture process.
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