Abstract: Gamow-Teller (GT) transitions are the most common weak interaction processes of spin-isospin (sigma tau) type in atomic nuclei. They are of interest not only in nuclear physics but also in astrophysics; they play an important role in supernovae explosions and nucleosynthesis. The direct study of weak decay processes, however, gives relatively limited information about GT transitions and the states excited via GT transitions (GT states); beta decay can only access states at excitation energies lower than the decay Q-value, and neutrino-induced reactions have very small cross-sections. However, one should note that beta decay has a direct access to the absolute GT transition strengths B(GT) from a study of half-lives, Q(beta)-values and branching ratios. They also provide information on GT transitions in nuclei far-from-stability. Studies of M1 gamma transitions provide similar information. In contrast, the complementary charge-exchange (CE) reactions, such as the (p, n) or ((3)He, t) reactions at intermediate beam energies and 0 degrees, can selectively excite GT states up to high excitation energies in the final nucleus. It has been found empirically that there is a close proportionality between the cross-sections at 0 degrees and the transition strengths B(GT) in these CE reactions. Therefore, CE reactions are useful tools to study the relative values of B(GT) strengths up to high excitation energies. In recent ((3)He, t) measurements, one order-of-magnitude improvement in the energy resolution has been achieved. This has made it possible to make one-to-one comparisons of GT transitions studied in CE reactions and beta decays. Thus GT strengths in ((3)He, t) reactions can be normalised by the beta-decay values. In addition, comparisons with closely related M1 transitions studied in gamma decay or electron inelastic scattering [(e, e')1, and furthermore with “spin” M I transitions that can be studied by proton inelastic scattering [(p, p')[ have now been made possible. In these comparisons, the isospin quantum number T and associated symmetry structure in the same mass A nuclei (isobars) play a key role. Isospin symmetry can extend our scope even to the structures of unstable nuclei that are far from reach at present unstable beam factories.

Abstract: A beta-gamma spectroscopy of the J(pi) = 1(+), 426 keV isomeric state of Al-24 ( Al-24m) has been carried out by using a Al-24 secondary beam with high purity and high isomeric ratio. From the absolute gamma-ray and beta-particle intensities observed in the decay of the isomeric state, the branching ratio R-B of the isomeric gamma-decay from Al-24m to the J(pi) = 4(+), ground state of Al-24 have been derived. The obtained R-B value of 69.6(7)% is much smaller than the previously accepted value of 82.5(30)%. The precise half-life for the isomer decay, T-1/2(m) = 130.9(13) ms, has been also determined in this experiment. Accordingly, the M3 gamma-decay strength B(M3) of the Al-24m decay becomes smaller and the total beta-decay branching ratio becomes larger. In particular, the beta-decay branching ratio to the ground state of Mg-24 becomes 24.3(9)%, which is 2.4 times larger than the previous value of 10.1(28)%. By combining the branching ratio and the half-life, the Gamow-Teller (GT) transition strength B(GT) of 0.0194(7) is deduced for the GT transition from Al-24m to the J(pi) = 0(+), ground state of Mg-24. This value is in good agreement with the values derived from charge-exchange reactions.