Abstract: Background: Identification of proton-neutron mixed-symmetric one-quadrupole phonon excitations (the 2(ms)(+) states) of atomic nuclei provides information on the isovector part of the residual nucleon-nucleon interaction. It was predicted that the 2(ms)(+) state of particular nuclei close to the U(5) limit of the interacting boson model, in particular Ba-140, should be considerably populated by alpha-transfer reactions [C. E. Alonso et al., Phys. Rev. C 78, 017301 (2008)]. Purpose: We aim at the identification of the 2(ms)(+) mixed-symmetry state (MSS) of radioactive Ba-140 and investigate its population by the alpha-transfer reaction as a suitable tool to selectively populate MSSs and as a potential new signature for its mixed-symmetric character. Method: A gamma-ray spectroscopy experiment was performed in inverse kinematics in order to populate the 2(ms)(+) state of Ba-140 by alpha-transfer from a C-nat target on Xe-136 beam ions. The population of the candidate for the 2(ms)(+) state of Ba-140 was measured relative to the population of the 2(1)(+) state. Results: The candidate for the 2(ms)(+) state of Ba-140 was populated by a transfer three times weaker than predicted. Another 2(+) state that can be ruled out as the MSS was in turn as strongly populated by the a transfer as predicted for the MSS. Conclusions: The relative population of 2(+) states by alpha-transfer cannot serve as a new signature for MSSs, since other 2(+) states are also strongly populated. Nevertheless, the substantial population of the MSS candidate of Ba-140 by alpha transfer qualifies this type of reaction as suitable tool to excite MSSs and study their electromagnetic decay properties.

Abstract: The rare-earth region of the nuclear table around the quasi-doubly magic nucleus Gd-146 is one of the very few places in which the Gamow-Teller (GT) resonance can be populated in beta decay. The appropriate technique to study such a phenomenon is total absorption spectroscopy, thanks to which one can measure the B(GT) distribution in beta-decay experiments even when it is very fragmented and lies at high excitation energy in the daughter nucleus. Results on the GT resonance measured in the beta decay of the odd-Z, N = 83 nuclei Tb-148, Ho-150, and Tm-152 are presented in this work and compared with shell-model calculations. The tail of the resonance is clearly observed up to the limit imposed by the Q value. This observation is important in the context of the understanding of the “quenching” of the GT strength.

Abstract: The NEutron Detector Array (NEDA) project aims at the construction of a new high-efficiency compact neutron detector array to be coupled with large gamma-ray arrays such as AGATA. The application of NEDA ranges from its use as selective neutron multiplicity filter for fusion-evaporation reaction to a large solid angle neutron tagging device. In the present work, possible configurations for the NEDA coupled with the Neutron Wall for the early implementation with AGATA has been simulated, using Monte Carlo techniques, in order to evaluate their performance figures. The goal of this early NEDA implementation is to improve, with respect to previous instruments, efficiency and capability to select multiplicity for fusion-evaporation reaction channels in which 1, 2 or 3 neutrons are emitted. Each NEDA detector unit has the shape of a regular hexagonal prism with a volume of about 3.23 l and it is filled with the EJ301 liquid scintillator, that presents good neutron-gamma discrimination properties. The simulations have been performed using a fusion-evaporation event generator that has been validated with a set of experimental data obtained in the Ni-58 + Fe-56 reaction measured with the Neutron Wall detector array.