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Guadilla, V., Algora, A., Tain, J. L., Agramunt, J., Jordan, D., Monserrate, M., et al. (2019). Total absorption gamma-ray spectroscopy of niobium isomers. Phys. Rev. C, 100(2), 024311–15pp.
Abstract: The beta-intensity distributions of the decays of Nb-100gs,Nb-100m and Nb-102gs,Nb-102m have been determined using the total absorption gamma-ray spectroscopy technique. The JYFLTRAP double Penning trap system was employed in a campaign of challenging measurements performed with the decay total absorption gamma-ray spectrometer at the Ion Guide Isotope Separator On-Line facility in Jyvaskyla. Different strategies were applied to disentangle the isomeric states involved, lying very close in energy. The low-spin component of each niobium case was populated through the decay of the zirconium parent, which was treated as a contaminant. We have applied a method to extract this contamination, and additionally we have obtained beta-intensity distributions for these zirconium decays. The beta-strength distributions evaluated with these results were compared with calculations in a quasiparticle random-phase approximation, suggesting a prolate configuration for the ground states of Zr-100,Zr-102. The footprint of the Pandemonium effect was found when comparing our results for the analyses of the niobium isotopes with previous decay data. The beta-intensities of the decay of Nb-102m, for which there were no previous data, were obtained. A careful evaluation of the uncertainties was carried out, and the consistency of our results was validated taking advantage of the segmentation of our spectrometer. The final results were used as input in reactor summation calculations. A large impact on antineutrino spectrum calculations was already reported, and here we detail the significant impact on decay heat calculations.
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IDS Collaboration(Heideman, J. et al), Algora, A., & Morales, A. I. (2023). Evidence of nonstatistical neutron emission following beta decay near doubly magic Sn-132. Phys. Rev. C, 108(2), 024311–9pp.
Abstract: Models of the beta-delayed neutron emission (beta n) assume that neutrons are emitted statistically via an intermediate compound nucleus post beta decay. Evidence to the contrary was found in an In-134 beta-decay experiment carried out at ISOLDE CERN. Neutron emission probabilities from the unbound states in Sn-134 to known low-lying, single-particle states in Sn-133 were measured. The neutron energies were determined using the time-of-flight technique, and the subsequent decay of excited states in Sn-133 was studied using gamma-ray detectors. Individual beta n probabilities were determined by correlating the relative intensities and energies of neutrons and gamma rays. The experimental data disagree with the predictions of representative statistical models which are based upon the compound nucleus postulate. Our results suggest that violation of the compound nucleus assumption may occur in beta-delayed neutron emission. This impacts the neutron-emission probabilities and other properties of nuclei participating in the r-process. A model of neutron emission, which links the observed neutron emission probabilities to nuclear shell effects, is proposed.
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AGATA Collaboration(Klintefjord, M. et al), Gadea, A., & Perez-Vidal, R. M. (2017). Measurement of lifetimes in Fe-62,Fe-64, Co-61,Co-63, and Mn-59. Phys. Rev. C, 95(2), 024312–11pp.
Abstract: Lifetimes of the 4(1)(+) states in Fe-62,Fe-64 and the 11/2(1)(-) states in Co-61,Co-63 and Mn-59 were measured at the Grand Accelerateur National d'Ions Lourds (GANIL) facility by using the Advanced Gamma Tracking Array (AGATA) and the large-acceptance variable mode spectrometer (VAMOS++). The states were populated through multinucleon transfer reactions with a U-238 beam impinging on a Ni-64 target, and lifetimes in the picosecond range were measured by using the recoil distance Doppler shift method. The data show an increase of collectivity in the iron isotopes approaching N = 40. The reduction of the subshell gap between the nu 2p(1/2) and nu 1g(9/2) orbitals leads to an increased population of the quasi-SU(3) pair (nu 1g(9/2), nu 2d(5/2)), which causes an increase in quadrupole collectivity. This is not observed for the cobalt isotopes withN < 40 for which the neutron subshell gap is larger due to the repulsive monopole component of the tensor nucleon-nucleon interaction. The extracted experimental B(E2) values are compared with large-scale shell-model calculations and with beyond-mean-field calculations with the Gogny D1S interaction. A good agreement between calculations and experimental values is found, and the results demonstrate in particular the spectroscopic quality of the Lenzi, Nowacki, Poves, and Sieja (LNPS) shell-model interaction.
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Aydin, S. et al, Gadea, A., & Huyuk, T. (2017). High-spin states and lifetimes in S-33 and shell-model interpretation in the sd-fp space. Phys. Rev. C, 96(2), 024315–10pp.
Abstract: The structure of the S-33 nucleus was investigated in the Mg-24(N-14, alpha p) fusion-evaporation reaction using a 40-MeV N-14 beam. The level scheme was extended up to an excitation energy of 11.7 MeV and spin 19/2+. Lifetimes of the intermediate-and high-spin states have been investigated by the Doppler shift attenuation method. Data were compared with different shell-model calculations where effective interactions involving two main shells, the sd and the fp, are used.
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Ramalho, M., Suhonen, J., Kostensalo, J., Alcala, G. A., Algora, A., Fallot, M., et al. (2022). Analysis of the total beta-electron spectrum of( 92)Rb: Implications for the reactor flux anomalies. Phys. Rev. C, 106(2), 024315–7pp.
Abstract: We present here a microscopic nuclear-structure calculation of a beta-electron spectrum including all the beta-decay branches of a high Q-value reactor fission product contributing significantly to the reactor antineutrino energy spectrum. We perform large-scale nuclear shell-model calculations of the total electron spectrum for the beta(-) decay of Rb-92 to states in Sr-92 using a computer cluster. We exploit the beta-branching data of a recent total absorption gamma-ray spectroscopy (TAGS) measurement to determine the effective values of the weak axial-vector coupling, g(A), and the weak axial charge, g(A)(gamma(5)). By using the TAGS data we avoid the bias stemming from the pandemonium effect which is a systematic error biasing the usual beta-decay measurements. We take fully into account all the involved allowed and forbidden beta transitions, in particular the first-forbidden nonunique ones which have earlier been shown to be relevant in the context of the reactor-antineutrino flux anomaly and the unexplained spectral shoulder, the “bump,” the former one having been interpreted as one of the strongest evidence for the existence of sterile neutrinos. Here we are able to present quantitative evidence for the relevance of forbidden nonunique beta(-) decays in a total beta spectrum of a fission product, in this case( 92)Rb, which is one of the major contributors to the total reactor antineutrino spectral shape. We demonstrate that taking the forbidden spectral shapes fully into consideration leads for Rb-92 to a 2.6%-4.6% reduction in the expected inverse beta-decay rate at the reactor antineutrino telescopes. We also confirm by our calculation of a total beta-electron spectrum that the forbidden transitions can contribute to the formation of the spectral bump in the reactor-antineutrino flux profile.
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