No Arabic abstract
The low-lying structure of $^{55}$Sc has been investigated using in-beam $gamma$-ray spectroscopy with the $^{9}$Be($^{56}$Ti,$^{55}$Sc+$gamma$)$X$ one-proton removal and $^{9}$Be($^{55}$Sc,$^{55}$Sc+$gamma$)$X$ inelastic-scattering reactions at the RIKEN Radioactive Isotope Beam Factory. Transitions with energies of 572(4), 695(5), 1539(10), 1730(20), 1854(27), 2091(19), 2452(26), and 3241(39) keV are reported, and a level scheme has been constructed using $gammagamma$ coincidence relationships and $gamma$-ray relative intensities. The results are compared to large-scale shell-model calculations in the $sd$-$pf$ model space, which account for positive-parity states from proton-hole cross-shell excitations, and to it ab initio shell-model calculations from the in-medium similarity renormalization group that includes three-nucleon forces explicitly. The results of proton-removal reaction theory with the eikonal model approach were adopted to aid identification of positive-parity states in the level scheme; experimental counterparts of theoretical $1/2^{+}_{1}$ and $3/2^{+}_{1}$ states are suggested from measured decay patterns. The energy of the first $3/2^{-}$ state, which is sensitive to the neutron shell gap at the Fermi surface, was determined. The result indicates a rapid weakening of the $N=34$ subshell closure in $pf$-shell nuclei at $Z>20$, even when only a single proton occupies the $pi f_{7/2}$ orbital.
The first $gamma$-ray spectroscopy of $^{52}$Ar, with the neutron number N = 34, was measured using the $^{53}$K(p,2p) one-proton removal reaction at $sim$210 MeV/u at the RIBF facility. The 2$^{+}_{1}$ excitation energy is found at 1656(18) keV, the highest among the Ar isotopes with N $>$ 20. This result is the first experimental signature of the persistence of the N = 34 subshell closure beyond $^{54}$Ca, i.e., below the magic proton number Z = 20. Shell-model calculations with phenomenological and chiral-effective-field-theory interactions both reproduce the measured 2$^{+}_{1}$ systematics of neutron-rich Ar isotopes, and support a N = 34 subshell closure in $^{52}$Ar.
A measurement of the $^{50}$Ti($d$,$p$)$^{51}$Ti reaction at 16 MeV was performed using a Super Enge Split Pole Spectrograph to measure the magnitude of the $N=32$ subshell gap in Ti. Seven states were observed that had not been observed in previous ($d$,$p$) measurements, and the textit{L} transfer values for six previously measured states were either changed or measured for the first time. The results were used to determine single neutron energies for the $p_{3/2}$, $p_{1/2}$ and $f_{5/2}$ orbitals. The resulting single neutron energies in $^{51}$Ti confirm the existence of the $N=32$ gap in Ti. These single neutron energies and those from previous measurements in $^{49}$Ca, $^{53}$Cr and $^{55}$Fe are compared to values from a covariant density functional theory calculation.
The first-excited state $g$~factor of $^{26}$Mg has been measured relative to the $g$ factor of the $^{24}$Mg($2^+_1$) state using the high-velocity transient-field technique, giving $g=+0.86pm0.10$. This new measurement is in strong disagreement with the currently adopted value, but in agreement with the $sd$-shell model using the USDB interaction. The newly measured $g$ factor, along with $E(2^+_1)$ and $B(E2)$ systematics, signal the closure of the $ u d_{5/2}$ subshell at $N=14$. The possibility that precise $g$-factor measurements may indicate the onset of neutron $pf$ admixtures in first-excited state even-even magnesium isotopes below $^{32}$Mg is discussed and the importance of precise excited-state $g$-factor measurements on $sd$~shell nuclei with $N eq Z$ to test shell-model wavefunctions is noted.
Isochronous mass spectrometry has been applied in the storage ring CSRe to measure the masses of the neutron-rich $^{operatorname{52-54}}$Sc and $^{54,56}$Ti nuclei. The new mass excess values $ME$($^{52}$Sc) $=$ $-40525(65)$ keV, $ME$($^{53}$Sc) $=$ $-38910(80)$ keV, and $ME$($^{54}$Sc) $=$ $-34485(360)$ keV, deviate from the Atomic Mass Evaluation 2012 by 2.3$sigma$, 2.8$sigma$, and 1.7$sigma$, respectively. These large deviations significantly change the systematics of the two-neutron separation energies of scandium isotopes. The empirical shell gap extracted from our new experimental results shows a significant subshell closure at $N = 32$ in scandium, with a similar magnitude as in calcium. Moreover, we present $ab$ $initio$ calculations using the valence-space in-medium similarity renormalization group based on two- and three-nucleon interactions from chiral effective field theory. The theoretical results confirm the existence of a substantial $N = 32$ shell gap in Sc and Ca with a decreasing trend towards lighter isotones, thus providing a consistent picture of the evolution of the $N = 32$ magic number from the $pf$ into the $sd$ shell.
The evolution of the N=28 shell closure is investigated far from stability. Using the latest results obtained from various experimental techniques, we discuss the main properties of the N=28 isotones, as well as those of the N=27 and N=29 isotones. Experimental results are confronted to various theoretical predictions. These studies pinpoint the effects of several terms of the nucleon-nucleon interaction, such as the central, the spin-orbit, the tensor and the three-body force components, to account for the modification of the N=28 shell gap and spin-orbit splittings. Analogies between the evolution of the N=28 shell closure and other magic numbers originating from the spin-orbit interaction are proposed (N=14,50, 82 and 90). More generally, questions related to the evolution of nuclear forces towards the drip-line, in bubble nuclei, and for nuclei involved in the r-process nucleosynthesis are proposed and discussed.