Goigoux, T. et al, Algora, A., Guadilla, V., Montaner-Piza, A., Morales, A. I., Orrigo, S. E. A., et al. (2016). Two-Proton Radioactivity of Kr-67. Phys. Rev. Lett., 117(16), 162501–6pp.
Abstract: In an experiment with the BigRIPS separator at the RIKEN Nishina Center, we observed two-proton (2p) emission from Kr-67. At the same time, no evidence for 2p emission of Ge-59 and Se-63, two other potential candidates for this exotic radioactivity, could be observed. This observation is in line with Q value predictions which pointed to Kr-67 as being the best new candidate among the three for two-proton radioactivity. Kr-67 is only the fourth 2p ground-state emitter to be observed with a half-life of the order of a few milliseconds. The decay energy was determined to be 1690(17) keV, the 2p emission branching ratio is 37(14)%, and the half-life of Kr-67 is 7.4(30) ms.
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Morales, A. I. et al, Algora, A., Rubio, B., Orrigo, S. E. A., Agramunt, J., Gelletly, W., et al. (2017). Simultaneous investigation of the T=1(J(pi)=0(+)) and T=0(J(pi)=9(+)) beta decays in Br-70. Phys. Rev. C, 95(6), 064327–11pp.
Abstract: The beta decay of the odd-odd nucleus Br-70 has been investigated with the BigRIPS and EURICA setups at the Radioactive Ion Beam Factory (RIBF) of the RIKEN Nishina Center. The T = 0(J(pi) = 9(+)) and T = 1(J(pi) = 0(+)) isomers have both been produced in in-flight fragmentation of Kr-78 with ratios of 41.6(8)% and 58.4(8)%, respectively. A half-life of t(1/2) = 2157(-49)(+53) ms has been measured for the J pi = 9(+) isomer from gamma-ray time decay analysis. Based on this result, we provide a new value of the half-life for the J pi = 0(+) ground state of Br-70, t(1/2) = 78.42 +/- 0.51 ms, which is slightly more precise, and in excellent agreement, with the best measurement reported hitherto in the literature. For this decay, we provide the first estimate of the total branching fraction decaying through the 2(1)(+) state in the daughter nucleus Se-70, R(2(1)(+)) = 1.3 +/- 1.1%. We also report four new low-intensity gamma-ray transitions at 661, 1103, 1561, and 1749 keV following the beta decay of the J pi = 9(+) isomer. Based on their coincidence relationships, we tentatively propose two new excited states at 3945 and 4752 keV in 70Se with most probable spins and parities of J(pi) = (6(+)) and (8(+)), respectively. The observed structure is interpreted with the help of shell-model calculations, which predict a complex interplay between oblate and prolate configurations at low excitation energies.
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Guadilla, V. et al, Algora, A., Tain, J. L., Agramunt, J., Jordan, M. D., Montaner-Piza, A., et al. (2017). Experimental study of Tc-100 beta decay with total absorption gamma-ray spectroscopy. Phys. Rev. C, 96(1), 014319–10pp.
Abstract: The beta decay of Tc-100 has been studied by using the total absorption gamma-ray spectroscopy technique at the Ion Guide Isotope Separator On-Line facility in Jyvaskyla. In this work the new Decay Total Absorption gamma-ray Spectrometer in coincidence with a cylindrical plastic beta detector has been employed. The beta intensity to the ground state obtained from the analysis is in good agreement with previous high-resolution measurements. However, differences in the feeding to the first-excited state as well as weak feeding to a new level at high excitation energy have been deduced from this experiment. Theoretical calculations performed in the quasiparticle random-phase approximation framework are also reported. Comparison of these calculations with our measurement serves as a benchmark for calculations of the double beta decay of Mo-100.
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Caballero-Folch, R. et al, Agramunt, J., Tain, J. L., Algora, A., Domingo-Pardo, C., Guadilla, V., et al. (2018). First determination of beta-delayed multiple neutron emission beyond A=100 through direct neutron measurement: The P-2n value of Sb-136. Phys. Rev. C, 98(3), 034310–10pp.
Abstract: Background: beta-delayed multiple neutron emission has been observed for some nuclei with A <= 100 being the Rb-100 the heaviest beta 2n emitter measured to date. So far only 25 P-2n values have been determined for the approximate to 300 nuclei that may decay in this way. Accordingly it is of interest to measure P-2n values for the other possible multiple neutron emitters throughout the chart of the nuclides. It is of particular interest to make such a measurement for nuclei with A > 100 to test the predictions of theoretical models and simulation tools for the decays of heavy nuclei in the region of very neutron-rich nuclei. In addition the decay properties of these nuclei are fundamental for the understanding of astrophysical nucleosynthesis processes such as the r-process and safety inputs for nuclear reactors. Purpose: To determine for the first time the two-neutron branching ratio the P-2n value for Sb-136 through a direct neutron measurement and to provide precise P-1n values for Sb-136 and Te-136. Method: A pure beam of each isotope of interest was provided by the JYFLTRAP Penning trap at the Ion Guide Isotope Separator On-Line (IGISOL) facility of the University of Jyvaskyla Finland. The purified ions were implanted into a moving tape at the end of the beam line. The detection setup consisted of a plastic scintillator placed right behind the implantation point after the tape to register the beta decays and the BELEN detector based on neutron counters embedded in a polyethylene matrix. The analysis was based on the study of the beta- and neutron-growth-and-decay curves and the beta-one-neutron and beta-two-neutron time correlations which allowed us the determination of the neutron branching ratios. Results: The P-2n value of Sb-136 was found to be 0.14(3)% and the measured P-1n values for Sb-136 and Te-136 were found to be 32.2(15)% and 1.47(6)% respectively. Conclusions: The measured P-2n value is a factor 44 smaller than predicted by the finite-range droplet model plus the quasiparticle random-phase approximation (FRDM+QRPA) model used for r-process calculations.
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Guadilla, V. et al, Algora, A., Tain, J. L., Agramunt, J., Aysto, J., Jordan, D., et al. (2019). Large Impact of the Decay of Niobium Isomers on the Reactor (v)over-bar(e) Summation Calculations. Phys. Rev. Lett., 122(4), 042502–6pp.
Abstract: Even mass neutron-rich niobium isotopes are among the principal contributors to the reactor antineutrino energy spectrum. They are also among the most challenging to measure due to the refractory nature of niobium, and because they exhibit isomeric states lying very close in energy. The beta-intensity distributions of Nb-100gs,Nb-100m and Nb-102gs,Nb-02m beta decays have been determined using the total absorption.-ray spectroscopy technique. The measurements were performed at the upgraded Ion Guide Isotope Separator On-Line facility at the University of Jyvaskyla. Here, the double Penning trap system JYFLTRAP was employed to disentangle the beta decay of the isomeric states. The new data obtained in this challenging measurement have a large impact in antineutrino summation calculations. For the first time the discrepancy between the summation model and the reactor antineutrino measurements in the region of the shape distortion has been reduced.
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Estienne, M., Fallot, M., Algora, A., Briz-Monago, J., Bui, V. M., Cormon, S., et al. (2019). Updated Summation Model: An Improved Agreement with the Daya Bay Antineutrino Fluxes. Phys. Rev. Lett., 123(2), 022502–6pp.
Abstract: A new summation method model of the reactor antineutrino energy spectrum is presented. It is updated with the most recent evaluated decay databases and with our total absorption gamma-ray spectroscopy measurements performed during the last decade. For the first time, the spectral measurements from the Daya Bay experiment are compared with the antineutrino energy spectrum computed with the updated summation method without any renormalization. The results exhibit a better agreement than is obtained with the Huber-Mueller model in the 2-5 MeV range, the region that dominates the detected flux. A systematic trend is found in which the antineutrino flux computed with the summation model decreases with the inclusion of more pandemonium-free data. The calculated flux obtained now lies only 1.9% above that detected in the Daya Bay experiment, a value that may be reduced with forthcoming new pandemonium-free data, leaving less room for a reactor anomaly. Eventually, the new predictions of individual antineutrino spectra for the U-235, Pu-239, Pu-241, and U-238 are used to compute the dependence of the reactor antineutrino spectral shape on the fission fractions.
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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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Guadilla, V. et al, Tain, J. L., Algora, A., Agramunt, J., Jordan, D., Monserrate, M., et al. (2019). Total absorption gamma-ray spectroscopy of the beta-delayed neutron emitters I-137 and Rb-95. Phys. Rev. C, 100(4), 044305–17pp.
Abstract: The decays of the beta-delayed neutron emitters( 137)I and Rb-95 have been studied with the total absorption gamma-ray spectroscopy technique. The purity of the beams provided by the JYFLTRAP Penning trap at the ion guide isotope separator on-line facility in Jyvaskyla allowed us to carry out a campaign of isotopically pure measurements with the decay total absorption gamma-ray spectrometer, a segmented detector composed of 18 NaI(T1) modules. The contamination coming from the interaction of neutrons with the spectrometer has been carefully studied, and we have tested the use of time differences between prompt gamma rays and delayed neutron interactions to eliminate this source of contamination. Due to the sensitivity of our spectrometer, we have found a significant amount of beta intensity to states above the neutron separation energy that deexcite by gamma rays, comparable to the neutron emission probability. The competition between gamma deexcitation and neutron emission has been compared with Hauser-Feshbach calculations, and it can be understood as a nuclear structure effect. In addition, we have studied the impact of the beta-intensity distributions determined in this work on reactor decay heat and reactor antineutrino spectrum summation calculations. The robustness of our results is demonstrated by a thorough study of uncertainties and with the reproduction of the spectra of the individual modules and the module-multiplicity gated spectra. This work represents the state-of-the-art of our analysis methodology for segmented total absorption spectrometers.
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Guadilla, V. et al, Tain, J. L., Algora, A., Agramunt, J., Jordan, D., Monserrate, M., et al. (2020). Determination of beta-decay ground state feeding of nuclei of importance for reactor applications. Phys. Rev. C, 102(6), 064304–12pp.
Abstract: In beta-decay studies the determination of the decay probability to the ground state (g.s.) of the daughter nucleus often suffers from large systematic errors. The difficulty of the measurement is related to the absence of associated delayed gamma-ray emission. In this work we revisit the 4 pi gamma – beta method proposed by Greenwood and collaborators in the 1990s, which has the potential to overcome some of the experimental difficulties. Our interest is driven by the need to determine accurately the beta-intensity distributions of fission products that contribute significantly to the reactor decay heat and to the antineutrinos emitted by reactors. A number of such decays have large g.s. branches. The method is relevant for nuclear structure studies as well. Pertinent formulas are revised and extended to the special case of beta-delayed neutron emitters, and the robustness of the method is demonstrated with synthetic data. We apply it to a number of measured decays that serve as test cases and discuss the features of the method. Finally, we obtain g.s. feeding intensities with reduced uncertainty for four relevant decays that will allow future improvements in antineutrino spectrum and decay heat calculations using the summation method.
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Orrigo, S. E. A. et al, Rubio, B., Gelletly, W., Aguilera, P., Algora, A., Morales, A. I., et al. (2021). beta decay of the very neutron-deficient Ge-60 and Ge-62 nuclei. Phys. Rev. C, 103(1), 014324–12pp.
Abstract: We report here the results of a study of the beta decay of the proton-rich Ge isotopes, Ge-60 and Ge-62, produced in an experiment at the RIKEN Nishina Center. We have improved our knowledge of the half-lives of Ge-62 [73.5(1) ms] and Ge-60 [25.0(3) ms] and its daughter nucleus, Ga-60 [69.4(2) ms]. We measured individual beta-delayed proton and gamma emissions and their related branching ratios. Decay schemes and absolute Fermi and Gamow-Teller transition strengths have been determined. The mass excesses of the nuclei under study have been deduced. A total beta-delayed proton-emission branching ratio of 67(3)% has been obtained for Ge-60. New information has been obtained on the energy levels populated in Ga-60 and on the 1/2(-) excited state in the beta p daughter Zn-59. We extracted a ground state-to-ground state feeding of 85.3(3)% for the decay of Ge-62. Eight new y lines have been added to the deexcitation of levels populated in the Ga-62 daughter.
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