No Arabic abstract
This paper reports on the hyperfine-structure and radioactive-decay studies of the neutron-deficient francium isotopes $^{202-206}$Fr performed with the Collinear Resonance Ionization Spectroscopy (CRIS) experiment at the ISOLDE facility, CERN. The high resolution innate to collinear laser spectroscopy is combined with the high efficiency of ion detection to provide a highly-sensitive technique to probe the hyperfine structure of exotic isotopes. The technique of decay-assisted laser spectroscopy is presented, whereby the isomeric ion beam is deflected to a decay spectroscopy station for alpha-decay tagging of the hyperfine components. Here, we present the first hyperfine-structure measurements of the neutron-deficient francium isotopes $^{202-206}$Fr, in addition to the identification of the low-lying states of $^{202,204}$Fr performed at the CRIS experiment.
We report here the results of a study of the $beta$ decay of the proton-rich Ge isotopes, $^{60}$Ge and $^{62}$Ge, produced in an experiment at the RIKEN Nishina Center. We have improved our knowledge of the half-lives of $^{62}$Ge (73.5(1) ms), $^{60}$Ge (25.0(3) ms) and its daughter nucleus, $^{60}$Ga (69.4(2) ms). We measured individual $beta$-delayed proton and $gamma$ emissions and their related branching ratios. Decay schemes and absolute Fermi and Gamow-Teller transition strengths have been determined. The mass excesses of the nuclei under study have been deduced. A total $beta$-delayed proton-emission branching ratio of 67(3)% has been obtained for $^{60}$Ge. New information has been obtained on the energy levels populated in $^{60}$Ga and on the 1/2$^-$ excited state in the $beta p$ daughter $^{59}$Zn. We extracted a ground state to ground state feeding of 85.3(3)% for the decay of $^{62}$Ge. Eight new $gamma$ lines have been added to the de-excitation of levels populated in the $^{62}$Ga daughter.
The electric-quadrupole coupling constant of the ground states of the proton drip line nucleus $^{20}$Na($I^{pi}$ = 2$^{+}$, $T_{1/2}$ = 447.9 ms) and the neutron-deficient nucleus $^{21}$Na($I^{pi}$ = 3/2$^{+}$, $T_{1/2}$ = 22.49 s) in a hexagonal ZnO single crystal were precisely measured to be $|eqQ/h| = 690 pm 12$ kHz and 939 $pm$ 14 kHz, respectively, using the multi-frequency $beta$-ray detecting nuclear magnetic resonance technique under presence of an electric-quadrupole interaction. A electric-quadrupole coupling constant of $^{27}$Na in the ZnO crystal was also measured to be $|eqQ/h| = 48.4 pm 3.8$ kHz. The electric-quadrupole moments were extracted as $|Q(^{20}$Na)$|$ = 10.3 $pm$ 0.8 $e$ fm$^2$ and $|Q(^{21}$Na)$|$ = 14.0 $pm$ 1.1 $e$ fm$^2$, using the electric-coupling constant of $^{27}$Na and the known quadrupole moment of this nucleus as references. The present results are well explained by shell-model calculations in the full $sd$-shell model space.
In an experiment with the BigRIPS separator at the RIKEN Nishina Center, the fragmentation of a $^{78}$Kr beam allowed the observation of new neutron-deficient isotopes at the proton drip-line. Clean identification spectra could be produced and $^{63}$Se, $^{67}$Kr, and $^{68}$Kr were identified for the first time. In addition, $^{59}$Ge was also observed. Three of these isotopes, $^{59}$Ge, $^{63}$Se, and $^{67}$Kr, are potential candidates for ground-state two-proton radioactivity. In addition, the isotopes $^{58}$Ge, $^{62}$Se, and $^{66}$Kr were also sought but without success. The present experiment also allowed the determination of production cross sections for some of the most exotic isotopes. These measurements confirm the trend already observed that the empirical parameterization of fragmentation cross sections, EPAX, significantly overestimates experimental cross sections in this mass region.
We have studied via in-beam $gamma$-ray spectroscopy $^{196}$Po and $^{198}$Po, which are the first neutron-deficient Po isotopes to exhibit a collective low-lying structure. The ratios of yrast state energies and the E2 branching ratios of transitions from non-yrast to yrast states are indicative of a low-lying vibrational structure. The onset of collective motion in these isotopes can be attributed to the opening of the neutron i$_{13/2}$ orbital at N$approx$112 and the resulting large overlap between the two valence protons in the h$_{9/2}$ orbital and the valence neutrons in the i$_{13/2}$ orbital.
The magnetic dipole moments and changes in mean-square charge radii of the neutron-rich $^{218m,219,229,231}text{Fr}$ isotopes were measured with the newly-installed Collinear Resonance Ionization Spectroscopy (CRIS) beam line at ISOLDE, CERN, probing the $7s~^{2}S_{1/2}$ to $8p~^{2}P_{3/2}$ atomic transition. The $deltalangle r^{2}rangle^{A,221}$ values for $^{218m,219}text{Fr}$ and $^{229,231}text{Fr}$ follow the observed increasing slope of the charge radii beyond $N~=~126$. The charge radii odd-even staggering in this neutron-rich region is discussed, showing that $^{220}text{Fr}$ has a weakly inverted odd-even staggering while $^{228}text{Fr}$ has normal staggering. This suggests that both isotopes reside at the borders of a region of inverted staggering, which has been associated with reflection-asymmetric shapes. The $g(^{219}text{Fr}) = +0.69(1)$ value supports a $pi 1h_{9/2}$ shell model configuration for the ground state. The $g(^{229,231}text{Fr})$ values support the tentative $I^{pi}(^{229,231}text{Fr}) = (1/2^{+})$ spin, and point to a $pi s_{1/2}^{-1}$ intruder ground state configuration.