AGATA Collaboration(Ralet, D. et al), Gadea, A., & Perez-Vidal, R. M. (2017). Toward lifetime and g factor measurements of short-lived states in the vicinity of Pb-208. Phys. Scr., 92(5), 054004–4pp.
Abstract: The multi-nucleon transfer reaction mechanism was used to produce and study nuclei in the vicinity of 208Pb. This mass region is a test case for the nuclear shell model. The mass identification of the fragments was performed with the large acceptance magnetic spectrometer VAMOS++ coupled to the AGATA gamma-tracking array. This experiment aimed to determine both lifetimes and gyromagnetic ratios of excited states with the Cologne plunger device. The analysis indicates promising results with the possibility to determine several new lifetimes in this region.
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AGATA Collaboration(Lalovic, N. et al), Gadea, A., & Domingo-Pardo, C. (2018). Study of isomeric states in Pb-198, Pb-200, Pb-202, Pb-206 and Hg-206 populated in fragmentation reactions. J. Phys. G, 45(3), 035105–27pp.
Abstract: Isomeric states in isotopes in the vicinity of doubly-magic Pb-208 were populated following reactions of a relativistic Pb-208 primary beam impinging on a Be-9 fragmentation target. Secondary beams of Pb-198,Pb-200,Pb-202,Pb-206 and Hg-206 were isotopically separated and implanted in a passive stopper positioned in the focal plane of the GSI Fragment Separator. Delayed gamma rays were detected with the Advanced Gamma Tracking Array (AGATA). Decay schemes were reevaluated and interpreted with shell-model calculations. The momentum-dependent population of isomeric states in the two-nucleon hole nuclei Pb-206/Hg-206 was found to differ from the population of multi neutron-hole isomeric states in Pb-198,Pb-200,Pb-202.
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Pajtler, M. V. et al, & Gadea, A. (2021). Excited states of Y-90,Y-92,Y-94 populated in Zr-90+Pb-208 multinucleon transfer reaction. Phys. Scr., 96(3), 035305–7pp.
Abstract: Multinucleon transfer reactions in Zr-90+Pb-208 have been studied via fragment-gamma coincidences, employing the PRISMA magnetic spectrometer coupled to the CLARA gamma-array. An analysis on Y isotopes has been carried out incorporating spectroscopic as well as reaction mechanism aspects. New gamma transitions have been observed in Y-94, confirming the findings of recent studies where nuclei were produced via fission of uranium, and a comparison with near-by Y-90,Y-92 isotopes populated in the same reaction has been discussed. Experimental cross sections have been extracted and compared with the GRAZING calculations, showing a fair agreement along the neutron pick-up side. The results confirm how multinucleon transfer reactions are a suitable mechanism for the study of neutron-rich nuclei.
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Cederwall, B. et al, Algora, A., & Gadea, A. (2011). Evidence for a spin-aligned neutron-proton paired phase from the level structure of Pd-92. Nature, 469(7328), 68–71.
Abstract: Shell structure and magic numbers in atomic nuclei were generally explained by pioneering work(1) that introduced a strong spin-orbit interaction to the nuclear shell model potential. However, knowledge of nuclear forces and the mechanisms governing the structure of nuclei, in particular far from stability, is still incomplete. In nuclei with equal neutron and proton numbers (N = Z), enhanced correlations arise between neutrons and protons (two distinct types of fermions) that occupy orbitals with the same quantum numbers. Such correlations have been predicted to favour an unusual type of nuclear superfluidity, termed isoscalar neutron-proton pairing(2-6), in addition to normal isovector pairing. Despite many experimental efforts, these predictions have not been confirmed. Here we report the experimental observation of excited states in the N = Z = 46 nucleus Pd-92. Gamma rays emitted following the Ni-58(Ar-36,2n)Pd-92 fusion-evaporation reaction were identified using a combination of state-of-the-art high-resolution c-ray, charged-particle and neutron detector systems. Our results reveal evidence for a spin-aligned, isoscalar neutron-proton coupling scheme, different from the previous prediction(2-6). We suggest that this coupling scheme replaces normal superfluidity (characterized by seniority coupling(7,8)) in the ground and low-lying excited states of the heaviest N = Z nuclei. Such strong, isoscalar neutron-proton correlations would have a considerable impact on the nuclear level structure and possibly influence the dynamics of rapid proton capture in stellar nucleosynthesis.
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Capra, S. et al, & Gadea, A. (2022). GALTRACE: A highly segmented silicon detector array for charged particle spectroscopy and discrimination. Nuovo Cim. C, 45(5), 98–4pp.
Abstract: GALTRACE is an array of segmented silicon detectors specifically built to work as an ancillary of the GALILEO gamma-ray spectrometer at Legnaro National Laboratory of INFN. GALTRACE consists of four telescopic Delta E-Edetectors which allow discriminating light charged particles also via pulse-shape analysis techniques. The good angular and energy resolutions, together with particle discrimination capabilities, make GALTRACE suitable for experiments where coincidences with specific emitted particles allow for the selection of reaction channels with very low cross section. The first in-beam experiment is reported here, aiming at identifying a narrow resonance, near-proton-threshold state in B-11, currently under discussion.
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Montanari, D., Farnea, E., Leoni, S., Pollarolo, G., Corradi, L., Benzoni, G., et al. (2011). Response function of the magnetic spectrometer PRISMA. Eur. Phys. J. A, 47(1), 4–7pp.
Abstract: The response function of the magnetic spectrometer PRISMA is studied via a Monte Carlo simulation that employs a ray tracing code to determine the trajectories of individual rays through the electromagnetic fields. The calculated response is tested on angular and energy distributions provided by theoretical calculations for the Ca-48 + Ni-64 multinucleon transfer reaction and applied to the corresponding experimental data.
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Bizzeti, P. G., Sona, P., Michelagnoli, C., Melon, B., Bazzacco, D., Farnea, E., et al. (2015). Analyzing power of AGATA triple clusters for gamma-ray linear polarization. Eur. Phys. J. A, 51(4), 49–11pp.
Abstract: We have investigated the ability of AGATA triple clusters to measure the linear polarization of gamma rays, exploiting the azimuthal-angle dependence of the Compton scattering differential cross section. To this aim, partially polarized gamma rays have been produced by Coulomb excitation of the first excited state of Pd-104 and Pd-108, which decay to the ground state by emission of gamma rays of 555.8 keV and 433.9 keV, respectively. Pulse-shape analysis and gamma-ray tracking techniques have been used to determine the position and time sequence of the interaction points inside the germanium crystals. Anisotropies in the detection efficiency have been taken into account using 661.6 keV gammas from a Cs-137 radioactive source. We obtain an average analyzing power of 0.451(34) at 433.9 keV and 0.484(24) at 555.8 keV.
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Huyuk, T. et al, Gadea, A., Aliaga-Varea, R. J., & Domingo-Pardo, C. (2016). Conceptual design of the early implementation of the NEutron Detector Array (NEDA) with AGATA. Eur. Phys. J. A, 52(3), 55–8pp.
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.
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Mijatovia, T., Szilner, S., Corradi, L., Montanari, D., Pollarolo, G., Fioretto, E., et al. (2016). Study of the cross section determination with the PRISMA spectrometer: The Ar-40+Pb-208 case. Eur. Phys. J. A, 52(4), 113–6pp.
Abstract: The PRISMA spectrometer's response function was successfully applied to match three angular and magnetic settings over a wide angular range for measurements of quasi-elastic reactions in Ar-40 + Pb-208 . The absolute scale of cross sections has been obtained by using the Rutherford cross section at the forward angles and the information from the energy distributions measured with the spectrometer without and with coincidences with the CLARA -array. The semi-classical model GRAZING has been used to test the unfolding procedure and for comparison with the corrected cross sections.
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Taprogge, J. et al, Gadea, A., & Montaner-Piza, A. (2016). Proton-hole and core-excited states in the semi-magic nucleus In-131(82). Eur. Phys. J. A, 52(11), 347–10pp.
Abstract: The decay of the N = 83 nucleus Cd-131 has been studied at the RIBF facility at the RIKEN Nishina Center. The main purpose of the study was to identify the position of the and proton-hole states and the energies of core-excited configurations in the semi-magic nucleus In-131. From the radiation emitted following the decay, a level scheme of In-131 was established and the feeding to each excited state determined. Similarities between the single-particle transitions observed in the decays of the N = 83 isotones In-132 and Cd-131 are discussed. Finally the excitation energies of several core-excited configurations in In-131 are compared to QRPA and shell-model calculations.
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