Cascade population of levels and probable phase transition in vicinity of the excitation energy ~0.5Bn of heavy nucleus

Abstract

From the comparison of absolute intensities of the two-step gamma-cascades and known intensities of their primary and secondary transitions, the cascade and total population of about ~100 levels of 181Hf and 184,185,187W excited in thermal neutron capture was determined. These experimental results and intensities of two-step cascades to the low-lying levels of mentioned nuclei were reproduced in calculation using level densities with clearly expressed step-like structure. Radiative strength functions of the primary transitions following gamma-decay of these compound nuclei to the levels in the region of pointed structure are considerably enhanced. Moreover, population of levels below 3 MeV can be reproduced only with accounting for local and rather considerable increase in radiative strength functions of the secondary transitions to the levels in vicinities of break points in energy dependence of level density and significant decrease of that to lower-lying states. Simultaneous change in both level density and strength functions in the same excitation region of a nucleus corresponds to the definition of the second-order phase transition.