Abstract: The International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility- DEMO Oriented Neutron Source (IFMIF-DONES) is a scientific infrastructure aimed to provide an intense neutron source for the qualification of materials to be used in future fusion power reactors. Its implementation is critical for the construction of the fusion DEMOnstration Power Plant (DEMO). IFMIF-DONES is a unique facility requiring a broad set of technologies. Although most of the necessary technologies have already been validated, there are still some aspects that introduce risks in the evolution of the project. In order to mitigate these risks, a consortium of companies, with the support of research centres and the funding of the CDTI (Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology and Innovation), has launched the DONES EVO Programme, which comprises six lines of research: center dot Improvement of signal transmission and integrity (planning and integration risks) center dot Optimisation of RF conditioning processes (planning and reliability risks) center dot Development of a reliable beam extraction device (reliability risks) center dot Development of technologies for the production of medical isotopes (reliability risks) center dot Improvement of critical parts of the lithium purification system (safety and reliability risks) center dot Validation of the manufacture of critical components with special materials (reliability risk). DONES EVO will focus on developing the appropriate response to the risks identified in the IFMIFDONES project through research and prototyping around the associated technologies.

Abstract: The neutron-rich isotopes of palladium have attracted considerable interest in terms of the evolution of the N = 82 neutron shell closure and its influence on the r-process nucleosynthesis. In this Letter, we present the first spectroscopic information on the excited states in Pd-125(79) and Pd-127(81) studied using the EURICA gamma-ray spectrometer, following production via in-flight fission of a high-intensity U-238 beam at the RIBF facility. New isomeric states with half-lives of 144(4) ns and 39(6) μs have been assigned spins and parities of (23/2(+)) and (19/2(+)) in Pd-125 and Pd-127, respectively. The observed level properties are compared to a shell-model calculation, suggesting the competition between proton excitations and neutron excitations in the proton-hole and neutron-hole systems in the vicinity of the doubly magic nucleus Sn-132.

Abstract: A new measurement of gamma decay from the states above the neutron threshold in Pb-208 has been performed at Cyclotron Centre Bronowice in Krakow, Poland. The main goal of the experiment was to observe the gamma decay to the ground state from the isoscalar giant quadrupole resonance (ISGQR). To this day, the only published observation of this phenomenon dates back to the late 1980s, where gamma decay to the ground state branching ratio was reported. At variance with the existing measurement using inelastic scattering of O-17, here proton inelastic scattering is employed. In particular, data were obtained for Pb-208(p, p'gamma) at 85 MeV beam energy, where gamma rays were measured for proton scattering angles 8.9 degrees, 10.7 degrees, 12.5 degrees, and 14.3 degrees. By applying a similar analysis method as in the previous experiment, the branching ratio of ISGQR gamma decay to the ground state was extracted from the data.