No Arabic abstract
We have developed a technique to measure beta-delayed proton decay of proton-rich nuclei produced and separated with the MARS recoil spectrometer of Texas A&M University. The short-lived radioactive species are produced in-flight, separated, then slowed down (from about 40 MeV/u) and implanted in the middle of very thin Si detectors. The beam is pulsed and beta-p decay of the pure sources collected in beam is measured between beam pulses. Implantation avoids the problems with detector windows and allows us to measure protons with energies as low as 200 keV from nuclei with lifetimes of 100 ms or less. Using this technique, we have studied the isotopes 23Al and 31Cl, both important for understanding explosive H-burning in novae. They were produced in the reactions 24Mg(p,2n)23Al and 32S(p,2n)31Cl, respectively, in inverse kinematics, from stable beams at 48 and 40 MeV/u, respectively. We give details about the technique, its performances and the results for 23Al and 31Cl beta-p decay. The technique has shown a remarkable selectivity to beta-delayed charged-particle emission and would work even at radioactive beam rates of a few pps. The states populated are resonances for the radiative proton capture reactions 22Na(p,g)23Mg and 30P(p,g)31S, respectively.
The radionuclide $^{22}$Na is a target of $gamma$-ray astronomy searches, predicted to be produced during thermonuclear runaways driving classical novae. The $^{22}$Na(p,$gamma$)$^{23}$Mg reaction is the main destruction channel of $^{22}$Na during a nova, hence, its rate is needed to accurately predict the $^{22}$Na yield. However, experimental determinations of the resonance strengths have led to inconsistent results. In this work, we report a measurement of the branching ratios of the $^{23}$Al $beta$-delayed protons, as a probe of the key 204--keV (center-of-mass) $^{22}$Na(p,$gamma$)$^{23}$Mg resonance strength. We report a factor of 5 lower branching ratio compared to the most recent literature value. The variation in $^{22}$Na yield due to nuclear data inconsistencies was assessed using a series of hydrodynamic nova outburst simulations and has increased to a factor of 3.8, corresponding to a factor of $sim$2 uncertainty in the maximum detectability distance. This is the first reported scientific measurement using the Gaseous Detector with Germanium Tagging (GADGET) system.
Decay studies of very neutron-deficient nuclei ranging from 39Ti to 49Ni have been performed during a projectile fragmentation experiment at the GANIL/LISE3 separator. For all nuclei studied in this work, 39,40Ti, 42,43Cr, 46Mn, 45,46,47Fe and 49Ni, half-lives and decay spectra have been measured. In a few cases, gamma coincidence measurements helped to successfully identify the initial and final states of transitions. In these cases, partial decay scheme are proposed. For the most exotic isotopes, 39Ti, 42Cr, 45Fe and 49Ni, which are candidates for two-proton radioactivity from the ground state, no clear evidence of this process is seen in our spectra and we conclude rather on a delayed particle decay.
Remarkable results have been published recently on the $beta$ decay of $^{56}$Zn. In particular, the rare and exotic $beta$-delayed $gamma$-proton emission has been detected for the first time in the $fp$ shell. Here we focus the discussion on this exotic decay mode and on the observed competition between $beta$-delayed protons and $beta$-delayed $gamma$ rays from the Isobaric Analogue State.
Background: The Doppler broadening of $gamma$-ray peaks due to nuclear recoil from $beta$-delayed nucleon emission can be used to measure the energies of the nucleons. This method has never been tested using $beta$-delayed proton emission or applied to a recoil heavier than $A=10$. Purpose: To test and apply this Doppler broadening method using $gamma$-ray peaks from the $^{26}$P($beta pgamma$)$^{25}$Al decay sequence. Methods: A fast beam of $^{26}$P was implanted into a planar Ge detector, which was used as a $^{26}$P $beta$-decay trigger. The SeGA array of high-purity Ge detectors was used to detect $gamma$ rays from the $^{26}$P($beta pgamma$)$^{25}$Al decay sequence. Results: Radiative Doppler broadening in $beta$-delayed proton-$gamma$ decay was observed for the first time. The Doppler broadening analysis method was verified using the 1613 keV $gamma$-ray line for which the proton energies were previously known. The 1776 keV $gamma$ ray de-exciting the 2720 keV $^{25}$Al level was observed in $^{26}$P($beta pgamma$)$^{25}$Al decay for the first time and used to determine that the center-of-mass energy of the proton emission feeding the 2720-keV level is 5.1 $pm$ 1.0 (stat.) $pm$ 0.6 (syst.) MeV, corresponding to a $^{26}$Si excitation energy of 13.3 $pm$ 1.0 (stat.) $pm$ 0.6 (syst.) MeV for the proton-emitting level. Conclusions: The Doppler broadening method has been demonstrated to provide practical measurements of the energies for $beta$-delayed nucleon emissions populating excited states of nuclear recoils at least as heavy as $A=25$.
The beta+ decay of very neutron deficient 43Cr has been studied by means of an imaging time projection chamber which allowed recording tracks of charged particles. Events of beta-delayed emission of one-, two-, and three protons were clearly identified. The absolute branching ratios for these channels were determined to be 81(4)%, 7.1(4)%, and 0.08(3)%, respectively. The 43Cr is thus established as the second case in which the beta-3p decay occurs. Although the feeding to the proton-bound states in 43V is expected to be negligible, the large branching ratio of 12(4)% for decays without proton emission is found.