arXiv subjects

A. Jokinen

Publications and source records attributed to A. Jokinen.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

High-resolution multi-reflection time-of-flight mass spectrometer for exotic nuclei at IGISOL

A Multi-Reflection Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer (MR-ToF-MS) has been commissioned at the Ion-Guide Isotope Separator On-Line (IGISOL) facility. It consists of six electrode pairs that form a nearly energy-isochronous potential and a pulsed drift-tube to trap the ions between the electrodes. Time-of-flight peak widths down to 22 ns full-width at half-maximum and mass-resolving powers of $\approx 1.5 \times 10^5$ within 20 ms have been demonstrated. The obtained time-focus and mass-resolving power depend sensitively on the trapping energy, energy spread and the number of revolutions of the ions. The mass-resolving power is affected by the temporal and energy spread of the ions entering the MR-ToF-MS, and fluctuations in the electrode voltages due to temperature variations. The longitudinal emittance corresponding to the temporal and energy spread of $^{39}$K is estimated to be 175 eVns based on the data, close to the expected 186(10) eVns. The time-of-flight temperature sensitivity is found to be -5.55(30) ppm/K. In addition to atomic mass measurements of short-lived exotic nuclides, the MR-ToF-MS can be used as a fast mass separator for various other experiments at IGISOL and as an ion counter for laser spectroscopy and yield measurements.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2025

Performance of the MORA Apparatus for Testing Time-Reversal Invariance in Nuclear Beta Decay

The MORA experimental setup is designed to measure the triple-correlation D parameter in nuclear beta decay. The D coefficient is sensitive to possible violations of time-reversal invariance. The experimental configuration consists of a transparent Paul trap surrounded by a detection setup with alternating beta and recoil-ion detectors. The octagonal symmetry of the detection setup optimizes the sensitivity of positron-recoil-ion coincidence rates to the D correlation, while reducing systematic effects. MORA utilizes an innovative in-trap laser polarization technique. The design and performance of the ion trap, associated beamline elements, lasers and beta and recoil-ion detectors, are presented. Recent progress towards the polarization proof-of-principle is described.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2025

$β$-delayed neutron spectroscopy of $^{85, 86}$As with MONSTER at IGISOL

The $β$-delayed neutron emission in the $^{85, 86}$As $β$-decays has been measured at the Ion Guide Isotope Separator On Line facility of the Accelerator Laboratory of the University of Jyväskylä. The complete $β$-decays have been studied with a complex setup that consists of a plastic scintillator for $β$-particles, MONSTER -- the MOdular Neutron time-of-flight SpectromeTER -- for neutrons, and a high-purity germanium and four LaBr$_3$ crystals for $γ$-rays. The $β$-delayed neutron energy distributions have been determined by unfolding the time-of-flight spectra with an innovative methodology based on the iterative Bayesian unfolding method and accurate Monte Carlo simulations. The results obtained for $^{85}$As are in excellent agreement with the existing evaluated data, validating the proposed methodology. In the case of $^{86}$As, a stronger neutron intensity at higher energies than previously predicted is discovered.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2024

Mass measurements in the $^{132}$Sn region with the JYFLTRAP double Penning trap mass spectrometer

We report on new precision mass measurements of neutron-rich $^{137}$Sb and $^{136-142}$I isotopes from the JYFLTRAP double Penning trap mass spectrometer. We confirm the value from the previous Penning-trap measurement of $^{137}$Sb at the Canadian Penning Trap and therefore rule out the conflicting result from the Experimental Storage Ring. The ground state and isomer in $^{136}$I were resolved and measured directly for the first time. The isomer excitation energy, $E_x = 215.1(43)$ keV, agrees with the literature but is three times more precise. The measurements have improved the precision of the mass values and confirmed previous results in the majority of cases. However, for $^{138,140}$I the results differ by 17(6) keV and 23(12) keV, respectively. This could be explained by an unresolved contamination or different ratio of unresolved isomeric states in the case of $^{140}$I.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2024

Direct high-precision measurement of the mass difference of $^{77}$As-$^{77}$Se related to neutrino mass determination

The first direct determination of the ground-state-to-ground-state ${β^{-}}$-decay $Q$-value of $^{77}$As to $^{77}$Se was performed by measuring their atomic mass difference utilizing the double Penning trap mass spectrometer, JYFLTRAP. The resulting $Q$-value is 684.463(70) keV, representing a remarkable 24-fold improvement in precision compared to the value reported in the most recent Atomic Mass Evaluation (AME2020). With the significant reduction of the uncertainty of the ground-state-to-ground-state $Q$-value and knowledge of the excitation energies in $^{77}$Se from $γ$-ray spectroscopy, the ground-state-to-excited-state $Q$-value of the transition $^{77}$As (3/2$^{-}$, ground state) $\rightarrow$ $^{77}$Se$^{*}$ (5/2$^{+}$, 680.1035(17) keV) was refined to be 4.360(70) keV. We confirm that this potential low $Q$-value ${β^{-}}$-decay transition for neutrino mass determination is energetically allowed at a confidence level of about 60$σ$. Nuclear shell-model calculations with two well-established effective Hamiltonians were used to estimate the partial half-life for the low $Q$-value transition. The half-life was found to be of the order of 10$^{9}$ years for this first-forbidden non-unique transition, which rules out this candidate a potential source for rare-event experiments searching for the electron antineutrino mass.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2024

Long-sought isomer turns out to be the ground state of $^{76}$Cu

Isomers close to the doubly magic nucleus $^{78}$Ni ($Z=28$, $N=50$) provide essential information on the shell evolution and shape coexistence far from stability. The existence of a long-lived isomeric state in $^{76}$Cu has been debated for a long time. We have performed high-precision mass measurements of $^{76}$Cu with the JYFLTRAP double Penning trap mass spectrometer at the Ion Guide Isotope Separator On-Line facility and confirm the existence of such a isomeric state with an excitation energy $E_x=64.8(25)$ keV. Based on the ratio of detected ground- and isomeric-state ions as a function of time, we show that the isomer is the shorter-living state previously considered as the ground state of $^{76}$Cu. The result can potentially change the conclusions made in previous works related to the spin-parity and charge radius of the $^{76}$Cu ground state. Additionally, the new $^{76}$Cu$(n,γ)$ reaction $Q$-value has an impact on the astrophysical rapid neutron-capture process.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2024

First investigation on the isomeric ratio in multinucleon transfer reactions: Entrance channel effects on the spin distribution

The multinucleon transfer (MNT) reaction approach was successfully employed for the first time to measure the isomeric ratios (IRs) of $^{211}$Po (25/2$^+$) isomer and its (9/2$^+$) ground state at the IGISOL facility using a 945 MeV $^{136}$Xe beam impinged on $^{209}$Bi and $^{\rm nat}$Pb targets. The dominant production of isomers compared to the corresponding ground states was consistently revealed in the $α$-decay spectra. Deduced IR of $^{211}$Po populated through the $^{136}$Xe+$^{\rm nat}$Pb reaction was found to enhance $\approx$1.8-times than observed for $^{136}$Xe+$^{209}$Bi. State-of-the-art Langevin-type model calculations have been utilized to estimate the spin distribution of an MNT residue. The computations qualitatively corroborate with the considerable increase in IRs of $^{211}$Po produced from $^{136}$Xe+$^{\rm nat}$Pb compared to $^{136}$Xe+$^{209}$Bi. Theoretical investigations indicate a weak influence of target spin on IRs. The enhancement of the $^{211}$Po isomer in the $^{136}$Xe+$^{\rm nat}$Pb over $^{136}$Xe+$^{209}$Bi can be attributed to the different proton ($p$)-transfer production routes. Estimations demonstrate an increment in the angular momentum transfer, favorable for isomer production, with increasing projectile energy. Comparative analysis indicates the two entrance channel parameters, projectile mass and $p$-transfer channels, strongly influencing the population of the high-spin isomer of $^{211}$Po (25/2$^+$). This is the first experimental and theoretical investigation on the IRs of nuclei produced via different channels of MNT reactions, with the latter quantitatively underestimating the former by a factor of two.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2023

Further evidence for shape coexistence in $^{79}$Zn$^{m}$ near doubly-magic $^{78}$Ni

Isomers close to doubly-magic $^{78}_{28}$Ni$_{50}$ provide essential information on the shell evolution and shape coexistence near the ${Z=28}$ and ${N=50}$ double shell closure. We report the excitation energy measurement of the $1/2^{+}$ isomer in $^{79}_{30}$Zn$_{49}$ through independent high-precision mass measurements with the JYFLTRAP double Penning trap and with the ISOLTRAP Multi-Reflection Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer. We unambiguously place the $1/2^{+}$ isomer at 942(10) keV, slightly below the $5/2^+$ state at 983(3) keV. With the use of state-of-the-art shell-model diagonalizations, complemented with Discrete Non Orthogonal shell-model calculations which are used here the first time to interpret shape coexistence, we find low-lying deformed intruder states, similar to other ${N=49}$ isotones. The $1/2^{+}$ isomer is interpreted as the band-head of a low-lying deformed structure akin to a predicted low-lying deformed band in $^{80}$Zn, and points to shape coexistence in $^{79,80}$Zn similar to the one observed in $^{78}$Ni. The results make a strong case for confirming the claim of shape coexistence in this key region of the nuclear chart.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2023

Nuclear charge radius of $^{26m}$Al and its implication for V$_{ud}$ in the quark-mixing matrix

Collinear laser spectroscopy was performed on the isomer of the aluminium isotope $^{26m}$Al. The measured isotope shift to $^{27}$Al in the $3s^{2}3p\;^{2}\!P^\circ_{3/2} \rightarrow 3s^{2}4s\;^{2}\!S_{1/2}$ atomic transition enabled the first experimental determination of the nuclear charge radius of $^{26m}$Al, resulting in $R_c$=\qty{3.130\pm.015}{\femto\meter}. This differs by 4.5 standard deviations from the extrapolated value used to calculate the isospin-symmetry breaking corrections in the superallowed $β$ decay of $^{26m}$Al. Its corrected $\mathcal{F}t$ value, important for the estimation of $V_{ud}$ in the CKM matrix, is thus shifted by one standard deviation to \qty{3071.4\pm1.0}{\second}.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2023

$β^-$ decay $Q$-value measurement of $^{136}$Cs and its implications to neutrino studies

The $β^-$ decay $Q$-value of $^{136}$Cs ($J^π= 5^+$, $t_{1/2} \approx 13$~days) was measured with the JYFLTRAP Penning trap setup at the Ion Guide Isotope Separator On-Line (IGISOL) facility of the University of Jyväskylä, Finland. The mono-isotopic samples required in the measurements were prepared with a new scheme utilised for the cleaning, based on the coupling of dipolar excitation with Ramsey's method of time-separated oscillatory fields and the phase-imaging ion-cyclotron-resonance (PI-ICR) technique. The $Q$ value is determined to be 2536.83(45) keV, which is $\sim$4 times more precise and 11.4(20) keV ($\sim$ 6$σ$) smaller than the adopted value in the most recent Atomic Mass Evaluation AME2020. The daughter, $^{136}$Ba, has a 4$^+$ state at 2544.481(24) keV and a $3^-$ state at 2532.653(23) keV, both of which can potentially be ultralow $Q$-value end-states for the $^{136}$Cs decay. With our new ground-to-ground state $Q$ value, the decay energies to these two states become -7.65(45) keV and 4.18(45) keV, respectively. The former is confirmed to be negative at the level of $\sim$ 17$σ$, which verifies that this transition is not a suitable candidate for neutrino mass determination. On the other hand, the slightly negative $Q$ value makes this transition an interesting candidate for the study of virtual $β$-$γ$ transitions. The decay to the 3$^{-}$ state is validated to have a positive low $Q$ value which makes it a viable candidate for neutrino mass determination. For this transition, we obtained a shell-model-based half-life estimate of $2.1_{-0.8}^{+1.6}\times10^{12}$ yr.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2022

Odd-odd neutron-rich rhodium isotopes studied with the double Penning trap JYFLTRAP

Precision mass measurements of neutron-rich rhodium isotopes have been performed at the JYFLTRAP Penning trap mass spectrometer at the Ion Guide Isotope Separator On-Line (IGISOL) facility. We report results on ground- and isomeric-state masses in $^{110,112,114,116,118}$Rh and the very first mass measurement of $^{120}$Rh. The isomeric states were separated and measured for the first time using the phase-imaging ion-cyclotron-resonance (PI-ICR) technique. For $^{112}$Rh, we also report new half-lives for both the ground state and the isomer. The results are compared to theoretical predictions using the BSkG1 mass model and discussed in terms of triaxial deformation.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2022

Total absorption $γ$-ray spectroscopy of the $β$ decays of $^{96\text{gs,m}}$Y

The $β$ decays of the ground state (gs) and isomeric state (m) of $^{96}$Y have been studied with the total absorption $γ$-ray spectroscopy technique at the Ion Guide Isotope Separator On-Line facility. The separation of the 8$^{+}$ isomeric state from the 0$^{-}$ ground state was achieved thanks to the purification capabilities of the JYFLTRAP double Penning trap system. The $β$-intensity distributions of both decays have been independently determined. In the analyses the de-excitation of the 1581.6 keV level in $^{96}$Zr, in which conversion electron emission competes with pair production, has been carefully considered and found to have significant impact on the $β$-detector efficiency, influencing the $β$-intensity distribution obtained. Our results for $^{96\text{gs}}$Y (0$^+$) confirm the large ground state to ground state $β$-intensity probability, although a slightly larger value than reported in previous studies was obtained, amounting to $96.6_{-2.1}^{+0.3}\%$ of the total $β$ intensity. Given that the decay of $^{96\text{gs}}$Y is the second most important contributor to the reactor antineutrino spectrum between 5 and 7 MeV, the impact of the present results on reactor antineutrino summation calculations has been evaluated. In the decay of $^{96\text{m}}$Y (8$^{+}$), previously undetected $β$ intensity in transitions to states above 6 MeV has been observed. This shows the importance of total absorption $γ$-ray spectroscopy measurements of $β$ decays with highly fragmented de-excitation patterns. $^{96\text{m}}$Y (8$^{+}$) is a major contributor to reactor decay heat in uranium-plutonium and thorium-uranium fuels around 10 s after fission pulses, and the newly measured average $β$ and $γ$ energies differ significantly from the previous values in evaluated databases (...)

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2022

Observation of an ultra-low $Q$-value electron-capture channel decaying to $^{75}$As via high-precision mass measurement

A precise determination of the atomic mass of $^{75}$As has been performed utilizing the double Penning trap mass spectrometer, JYFLTRAP. The mass excess is measured to be -73035.519(42) keV/c$^2$, which is a factor of 21 more precise and 1.3(9) keV/c$^2$ lower than the adopted value in the newest Atomic Mass Evaluation (AME2020). This value has been used to determine the ground-state-to-ground-state electron-capture decay $Q$ value of $^{75}$Se and $β^-$ decay $Q$ value of $^{75}$Ge, which are derived to be 866.041(81) keV and 1178.561(65) keV, respectively. Using the nuclear energy-level data of 860.00(40) keV, 865.40(50) keV (final states of electron capture) and 1172.00(60) keV (final state of $β^-$ decay) for the excited states of $^{75}$As$^*$, we have determined the ground-state-to-excited-state $Q$ values for two transitions of $^{75}$Se $\rightarrow$ $^{75}$As$^*$ and one transition of $^{75}$Ge $\rightarrow$ $^{75}$As$^*$. The ground-state-to-excited-state $Q$ values are determined to be 6.04(41) keV, 0.64(51) keV and 6.56(60) keV, respectively, thus confirming that the three low $Q$-value transitions are all energetically valid and one of them is a possible candidate channel for antineutrino mass determination. Furthermore, the ground-state-to-excited-state $Q$ value of transition $^{75}$Se $\rightarrow$ $^{75}$As$^*$ (865.40(50) keV) is revealed to be ultra-low (< 1 keV) and the first-ever confirmed EC transition possessing an ultra-low $Q$ value from direct measurements.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2022

Direct determination of the atomic mass difference of the pairs $^{76}$As-$^{76}$Se and $^{155}$Tb-$^{155}$Gd rules out $^{76}$As and $^{155}$Tb as possible candidates for electron (anti)neutrino mass measurements

The first direct determination of the ground-state-to-ground-state $Q$ values of the $β^-$ decay $^{76}$As $\rightarrow$ $^{76}$Se and the electron-capture decay $^{155}$Tb $\rightarrow$ $^{155}$Gd was performed utilizing the double Penning trap mass spectrometer JYFLTRAP. By measuring the atomic mass difference of the decay pairs via the phase-imaging ion-cyclotron-resonance (PI-ICR) technique, the $Q$ values of $^{76}$As $\rightarrow$ $^{76}$Se and $^{155}$Tb $\rightarrow$ $^{155}$Gd were determined to be 2959.265(74) keV and 814.94(18) keV, respectively. The precision was increased relative to earlier measurements by factors of 12 and 57, respectively. The new $Q$ values are 1.33 keV and 5 keV lower compared to the values adopted in the most recent Atomic Mass Evaluation 2020. With the newly determined ground-state-to-ground-state $Q$ values combined with the excitation energy from $γ$-ray spectroscopy, the $Q$ values for ground-state-to-excited-state transitions $^{76}$As (ground state) $\rightarrow$ $^{76}$Se$^*$ (2968.4(7) keV) and $^{155}$Tb (ground state) $\rightarrow$ $^{155}$Gd$^*$ (815.731(3) keV) were derived to be -9.13(70) keV and -0.79(18) keV. Thus we have confirmed that both of the $β^{-}$-decay and EC-decay candidate transitions are energetically forbidden at a level of at least 4$σ$, thus definitely excluding these two cases from the list of potential candidates for the search of low-$Q$-value $β^-$ or EC decays to determine the electron-(anti)neutrino mass.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2022

High-precision electron-capture $Q$ value measurement of $^{111}$In for electron-neutrino mass determination

A precise determination of the ground state $^{111}$In ($9/2^+$) electron capture to ground state of $^{111}$Cd ($1/2^+$) $Q$ value has been performed utilizing the double Penning trap mass spectrometer, JYFLTRAP. A value of 857.63(17) keV was obtained, which is nearly a factor of 20 more precise than the value extracted from the Atomic Mass Evaluation 2020 (AME2020). The high-precision electron-capture $Q$ value measurement along with the nuclear energy level data of 866.60(6) keV, 864.8(3) keV, 855.6(10) keV, and 853.94(7) keV for $^{111}$Cd was used to determine whether the four states are energetically allowed for a potential ultra-low $Q$-value $β^{}$ decay or electron-capture decay. Our results confirm that the excited states of 866.60(6) keV with spin-parity ($J^π$) of 3/2$^{+}$ and 864.8(3) keV with $J^π$ = 3/2$^{+}$ are ruled out due to their deduced electron-capture $Q$ value being smaller than 0 keV at the level of around 20$σ$ and 50$σ$, respectively. Electron-capture decays to the excited states at 853.94(7) keV ($J^π$ = 7/2$^+$) and 855.6(10) keV ($J^π$ = 3/2$^+$), are energetically allowed with $Q$ values of 3.69(19) keV and 2.0(10) keV, respectively. The allowed decay transition $^{111}$In (9/2$^{+}$) $\rightarrow$ $^{111}$Cd (7/2$^{+}$), with a $Q$ value of 3.69(19) keV, is a potential a new candidate for neutrino-mass measurements by future EC experiments featuring new powerful detection technologies. The results show that the indium level $2p_{1/2}$ for this decay branch leads to a significant increase in the number of EC events in the energy region sensitive to the electron neutrino mass.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2021

$^{159}$Dy electron-capture: a strong new candidate for neutrino mass determination

{ The ground-state to ground-state electron-capture $Q$ value of $^{159}$Dy ($3/2^-$) has been measured directly utilizing the double Penning trap mass spectrometer JYFLTRAP. A value of 364.73(19)~keV was obtained from a measurement of the cyclotron frequency ratio of the decay parent $^{159}$Dy and the decay daughter $^{159}$Tb ions using the novel phase-imaging ion-cyclotron resonance technique. The $Q$ values for allowed Gamow-Teller transition to $5/2^-$ and the third-forbidden unique transition to $11/2^+$ state with excitation energies of 363.5449(14)~keV and 362.050(40)~keV in $^{159}$Tb were determined to be 1.18(19) keV and 2.68(19) keV, respectively. The high-precision $Q$ value of transition $3/2^-\to 5/2^-$ from this work, revealing itself as the lowest electron-capture $Q$ value, is utilized to unambiguously characterise all the possible lines that are present in its electron capture spectrum. { We performed atomic many-body calculations for both transitions to determine electron-capture probabilities from various atomic orbitals, and found an order of magnitude enhancement in the event rates near the end-point of energy spectrum in the transition to the $5/2^-$ nuclear excited state, which can become very interesting once the experimental challenges of identifying decays into excited states are overcome. The transition to the $11/2^+$ state is strongly suppressed and found unsuitable for measuring the neutrino mass. These results show that the electron capture in the $^{159}$Dy atom, going to the $5/2^-$ state of the $^{159}$Tb nucleus, %\textcolor{red} {is a new candidate which may open the way to determine the electron-neutrino mass in the sub-eV region by studying EC. Further experimental feasibility studies, including coincidence measurements with realistic detectors, will be of great interest.} }

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2021

Direct measurement of the mass difference of $^{72}$As-$^{72}$Ge rules out $^{72}$As as a promising $β$-decay candidate to determine the neutrino mass

We report the first direct determination of the ground-state to ground-state electron-capture $Q$-value for the $^{72}$As to $^{72}$Ge decay by measuring their atomic mass difference utilizing the double Penning trap mass spectrometer, JYFLTRAP. The $Q$-value was measured to be 4343.596(75)~keV, which is more than a 50-fold improvement in precision compared to the value in the most recent Atomic Mass Evaluation 2020. Furthermore, the new $Q$-value was found to be 12.4(40)~keV (3.1 $σ$) lower. With the significant reduction of the uncertainty of the ground-state to ground-state $Q$-value value combined with the level scheme of $^{72}$Ge from $γ$-ray spectroscopy, we confirm that the five potential ultra-low $Q$-value ${β^{+}}$-decay or electron capture transitions are energetically forbidden, thus precluding all the transitions as possible candidates for the electron neutrino mass determination. However, the discovery of small negative $Q$-values opens up the possibility to use $^{72}$As for the study of virtual $β$-$γ$ transitions.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2020

High-precision mass measurement of $^{168}$Yb for verification of nonlinear isotope shift

The absolute mass value of $^{168}$Yb has been directly determined with the JYFLTRAP Penning trap mass spectrometer at the Ion Guide Isotope Separator On-Line (IGISOL) facility. A more precise value of the mass of $^{168}$Yb is needed to extract possible signatures of beyond standard model physics from high-precision isotope shift measurements of Yb atomic transition frequencies. The measured mass-excess value, ME($^{168}$Yb) = $-$61579.846(94) keV, is 12 times more precise and deviates from the Atomic Mass Evaluation 2016 value by 1.7$σ$. The impact on precision isotope shift studies of the stable Yb isotopes is discussed.

nucl-ex↗