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AGATA collaboration(Collado, J. et al), Civera, J. V., & Gadea, A. (2023). AGATA phase 2 advancements in front-end electronics. Eur. Phys. J. A, 59(6), 133–20pp.
Abstract: The AGATA collaboration has a long-standing leadership in the development of front-end electronics for high resolution ?-ray spectroscopy using large volume high purity germanium detectors. For two decades, the AGATA collaboration has been developing state-of-the-art digital electronics processing with high resolution sampling ADC, high-speed signal transfer and fast readout to a high throughput computing (HTC) farm for on-line pulse shape analysis. The collaboration is presently addressing the next challenge of equipping a 4p array with more than 6000 channels in high resolution mode, generating approximately 10 MHz of total trigger requests, coupled to a large variety of complementary instruments. A next generation of front-end electronics, presently under design, is based on industrial products (System on Module FPGA's), has higher integration and lower power consumption. In this contribution, the conceptual design of the new electronics is presented. The results of the very first tests of the pre-production electronics are presented as well as future perspectives.
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Clement, E., Bracco, A., Gadea, A., & Simpson, J. (2023). Organisation of the AGATA collaboration and physics campaigns. Eur. Phys. J. A, 59(7), 152–5pp.
Abstract: The AGATA spectrometer has a well-established organisational and management structure for its construction and operation. The roles and responsibilities of each of the management committees and their interaction, as well as the scientific organisation is described in this contribution. The organisation of the present campaign, which aims to realise the 4p spectrometer, is presented. General comments on the previous physics campaigns at LNL (2010-2011), GSI (2012-2014) and GANIL (2015-2021) are made.
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Pasqualato, G. et al, Domingo-Pardo, C., & Gadea, A. (2023). Shape evolution in even-mass 98-104Zr isotopes via lifetime measurements using the γ γ-coincidence technique. Eur. Phys. J. A, 59(11), 276–13pp.
Abstract: The Zirconium (Z = 40) isotopic chain has attracted interest for more than four decades. The abrupt lowering of the energy of the first 2(+) state and the increase in the transition strength B(E2; 2(1)(+) -> 0(1)(+) ) going from Zr-98 to Zr-100 has been the first example of “quantum phase transition” in nuclear shapes, which has few equivalents in the nuclear chart. Although a multitude of experiments have been performed to measure nuclear properties related to nuclear shapes and collectivity in the region, none of the measured lifetimes were obtained using the Recoil Distance Doppler Shift method in the gamma gamma-coincidence mode where a gate on the direct feeding transition of the state of interest allows a strict control of systematical errors. This work reports the results of lifetime measurements for the first yrast excited states in Zr98-104 carried out to extract reduced transition probabilities. The new lifetime values in gamma gamma-coincidence and gamma-single mode are compared with the results of former experiments. Recent predictions of the Interacting Boson Model with Configuration Mixing, the Symmetry Conserving Configuration Mixing model based on the Hartree-Fock- Bogoliubov approach and the Monte Carlo Shell Model are presented and compared with the experimental data.
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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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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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