arXiv subjects

C. Langer

Publications and source records attributed to C. Langer.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2018

Weakly Bound Neutron-Rich Nuclei and Cosmic Phenomena

The single particle and bulk properties of the neutron-rich nuclei constrain fundamental issues in nuclear physics and nuclear astrophysics like the limits of existence of quantum many body systems (atomic nuclei), the equation of state of neutron-rich matter, neutron star, nucleosynthesis, evolution of stars, neutron star merging etc.. The state of the art of Coulomb breakup of the neutron-rich nuclei has been used to explore those properties. Unambiguous information on detailed components of the ground-state wave-function along with quantum numbers of the valence neutron of the nuclei have been obtained from the measurement of threshold strength along with the $γ$-rays spectra of the core following Coulomb breakup. The shape of this threshold strength is a finger-print of the quantum numbers of the nucleon. We investigated the ground-state properties of the neutron-rich Na, Mg, Al nuclei around N $\sim$ 20 using this method at GSI, Darmstadt. Very clear evidence has been observed for melting and merging of long cherished magic shell gaps at N = 20, 28. The evanescent neutron-rich nuclei imprint their existence in stellar explosive scenarios (r-process etc.). Coulomb dissociation (CD) is one of the important indirect measurements of the capture cross-section which may provide valuable input to the model for star evolution process, particularly the r-process. Some valuable bulk properties of the neutron-rich nuclei like the density dependent symmetry energy,neutron skin etc. play a key role in understanding cosmic phenomena and these properties have been studied via electromagnetic excitation. Preliminary results of electromagnetic excitation of the neutron-rich nucleus, $^{32}$Mg are presented.

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arXiv2018

Strong neutron pairing in core+4n nuclei

The emission of neutron pairs from the neutron-rich $N\!=\!12$ isotones $^{18}$C and $^{20}$O has been studied by high-energy nucleon knockout from $^{19}$N and $^{21}$O secondary beams, populating unbound states of the two isotones up to 15~MeV above their two-neutron emission thresholds. The analysis of triple fragment-$n$-$n$ correlations shows that the decay $^{19}$N$(-1p)^{18}$C$^*\!\rightarrow^{16}$C+$n$+$n$ is clearly dominated by direct pair emission. The two-neutron correlation strength, the largest ever observed, suggests the predominance of a $^{14}$C core surrounded by four valence neutrons arranged in strongly correlated pairs. On the other hand, a significant competition of a sequential branch is found in the decay $^{21}$O$(-1n)^{20}$O$^*\!\rightarrow^{18}$O+$n$+$n$, attributed to its formation through the knockout of a deeply-bound neutron that breaks the $^{16}$O core and reduces the number of pairs.

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arXiv2017

Effective proton-neutron interaction near the drip line from unbound states in $^{25,26}$F

Background: Odd-odd nuclei, around doubly closed shells, have been extensively used to study proton-neutron interactions. However, the evolution of these interactions as a function of the binding energy, ultimately when nuclei become unbound, is poorly known. The $^{26}$F nucleus, composed of a deeply bound $\pi0d\_{5/2}$ proton and an unbound $\nu0d\_{3/2}$ neutron on top of an $^{24}$O core, is particularly adapted for this purpose. The coupling of this proton and neutron results in a $J^π = 1^{+}\_1 - 4^{+}\_1$ multiplet, whose energies must be determined to study the influence of the proximity of the continuum on the corresponding proton-neutron interaction. The $J^π = 1^{+}\_1, 2^{+}\_1,4^{+}\_1$ bound states have been determined, and only a clear identification of the $J^π =3^{+}\_1$ is missing.Purpose: We wish to complete the study of the $J^π = 1^{+}\_1 - 4^{+}\_1$ multiplet in $^{26}$F, by studying the energy and width of the $J^π =3^{+}\_1$ unbound state. The method was firstly validated by the study of unbound states in $^{25}$F, for which resonances were already observed in a previous experiment.Method: Radioactive beams of $^{26}$Ne and $^{27}$Ne, produced at about $440A$\,MeV by the FRagment Separator at the GSI facility, were used to populate unbound states in $^{25}$F and $^{26}$F via one-proton knockout reactions on a CH$\_2$ target, located at the object focal point of the R$^3$B/LAND setup. The detection of emitted $γ$-rays and neutrons, added to the reconstruction of the momentum vector of the $A-1$ nuclei, allowed the determination of the energy of three unbound states in $^{25}$F and two in $^{26}$F. Results: Based on its width and decay properties, the first unbound state in $^{25}$F is proposed to be a $J^π = 1/2^-$ arising from a $p\_{1/2}$ proton-hole state. In $^{26}$F, the first resonance at 323(33)~keV is proposed to be the $J^π =3^{+}\_1$ member of the $J^π = 1^{+}\_1 - 4^{+}\_1$ multiplet. Energies of observed states in $^{25,26}$F have been compared to calculations using the independent-particle shell model, a phenomenological shell-model, and the ab initio valence-space in-medium similarity renormalization group method.Conclusions: The deduced effective proton-neutron interaction is weakened by about 30-40\% in comparison to the models, pointing to the need of implementing the role of the continuum in theoretical descriptions, or to a wrong determination of the atomic mass of $^{26}$F.

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arXiv2017

Low-lying level structure of $^{56}$Cu and its implications on the rp process

The low-lying energy levels of proton-rich $^{56}$Cu have been extracted using in-beam $γ$-ray spectroscopy with the state-of-the-art $γ$-ray tracking array GRETINA in conjunction with the S800 spectrograph at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory at Michigan State University. Excited states in $^{56}$Cu serve as resonances in the $^{55}$Ni(p,$γ$)$^{56}$Cu reaction, which is a part of the rp-process in type I x-ray bursts. To resolve existing ambiguities in the reaction Q-value, a more localized IMME mass fit is used resulting in $Q=639\pm82$~keV. We derive the first experimentally-constrained thermonuclear reaction rate for $^{55}$Ni(p,$γ$)$^{56}$Cu. We find that, with this new rate, the rp-process may bypass the $^{56}$Ni waiting point via the $^{55}$Ni(p,$γ$) reaction for typical x-ray burst conditions with a branching of up to $\sim$40$\%$. We also identify additional nuclear physics uncertainties that need to be addressed before drawing final conclusions about the rp-process reaction flow in the $^{56}$Ni region.

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arXiv2017

Coulomb breakup of neutron-rich $^{29,30}$Na isotopes near the island of inversion

First results are reported on the ground state configurations of the neutron-rich $^{29,30}$Na isotopes, obtained via Coulomb dissociation (CD) measurements as a method of the direct probe. The invariant mass spectra of those nuclei have been obtained through measurement of the four-momentum of all decay products after Coulomb excitation on a $^{208}Pb$ target at energies of 400-430 MeV/nucleon using FRS-ALADIN-LAND setup at GSI, Darmstadt. Integrated Coulomb-dissociation cross-sections (CD) of 89 $(7)$ mb and 167 $(13)$ mb up to excitation energy of 10 MeV for one neutron removal from $^{29}$Na and $^{30}$Na respectively, have been extracted. The major part of one neutron removal, CD cross-sections of those nuclei populate core, in its' ground state. A comparison with the direct breakup model, suggests the predominant occupation of the valence neutron in the ground state of $^{29}$Na${(3/2^+)}$ and $^{30}$Na${(2^+)}$ is the $d$ orbital with small contribution in the $s$-orbital which are coupled with ground state of the core. The ground state configurations of these nuclei are as $^{28}$Na$_{gs (1^+)\otimesν_{s,d}$ and $^{29}$Na$_{gs}(3/2^+)\otimesν_{ s,d}$, respectively. The ground state spin and parity of these nuclei, obtained from this experiment are in agreement with earlier reported values. The spectroscopic factors for the valence neutron occupying the $s$ and $d$ orbitals for these nuclei in the ground state have been extracted and reported for the first time. A comparison of the experimental findings with the shell model calculation using MCSM suggests a lower limit of around 4.3 MeV of the sd-pf shell gap in $^{30}$Na.

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arXiv2016

Neutron capture cross section measurement of 238U at the n TOF CERN facility with C6D6 scintillation detectors in the energy region from 1 eV to 700 keV

The aim of this work is to provide a precise and accurate measurement of the 238U(n,g) reaction cross section in the energy region from 1 eV to 700 keV. This reaction is of fundamental importance for the design calculations of nuclear reactors, governing the behaviour of the reactor core. In particular, fast reactors, which are experiencing a growing interest for their ability to burn radioactive waste, operate in the high energy region of the neutron spectrum. In this energy region most recent evaluations disagree due to inconsistencies in the existing measurements of up to 15%. In addition, the assessment of nuclear data uncertainty performed for innovative reactor systems shows that the uncertainty in the radiative capture cross-section of 238U should be further reduced to 1-3% in the energy region from 20 eV to 25 keV. To this purpose, addressed by the Nuclear Energy Agency as a priority nuclear data need, complementary experiments, one at the GELINA and two at the n_TOF facility, were proposed and carried out within the 7th Framework Project ANDES of the European Commission. The results of one of these 238U(n,g) measurements performed at the n_TOF CERN facility are presented in this work. The gamma-ray cascade following the radiative neutron capture has been detected exploiting a setup of two C6D6 liquid scintillators. Resonance parameters obtained from this work are on average in excellent agreement with the ones reported in evaluated libraries. In the unresolved resonance region, this work yields a cross section in agreement with evaluated libraries up to 80 keV, while for higher energies our results are significantly higher.

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arXiv2016

$β$-particle energy-summing correction for $β$-delayed proton emission measurements

A common approach to studying $β$-delayed proton emission is to measure the energy of the emitted proton and corresponding nuclear recoil in a double-sided silicon-strip detector (DSSD) after implanting the $β$-delayed proton emitting ($β$p) nucleus. However, in order to extract the proton-decay energy, the measured energy must be corrected for the additional energy implanted in the DSSD by the $β$-particle emitted from the $β$p nucleus, an effect referred to here as $β$-summing. We present an approach to determine an accurate correction for $β$-summing. Our method relies on the determination of the mean implantation depth of the $β$p nucleus within the DSSD by analyzing the shape of the total (proton + recoil + $β$) decay energy distribution shape. We validate this approach with other mean implantation depth measurement techniques that take advantage of energy deposition within DSSDs upstream and downstream of the implantation DSSD.

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arXiv2016

Unexpected distribution of $\nu1f_{7/2}$ strength in the calcium isotopes at $N$=30

The calcium isotopes have emerged as an important testing ground for new microscopically derived shell-model interactions, and a great deal of focus has been directed toward this region. We investigate the relative spectroscopic strengths associated with $1f_{7/2}$ neutron hole states in $^{47, 49}$Ca following one-neutron knockout reactions from $^{48,50}$Ca. The observed reduction of strength populating the lowest 7/2$^{-}_{1}$ state in $^{49}$Ca, as compared to $^{47}$Ca, is consistent with the description given by shell-model calculations based on two- and three-nucleon forces in the neutron $pf$ model space, implying a fragmentation of the $l$=3 strength to higher-lying states. The experimental result is inconsistent with both the GXPF1 interaction routinely used in this region of the nuclear chart and with microscopic calculations in an extended model space including the $\nu1g_{9/2}$ orbital.

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arXiv2016

Isobaric multiplet mass equation in the $A=31$ $T = 3/2$ quartets

The observed mass excesses of analog nuclear states with the same mass number $A$ and isospin $T$ can be used to test the isobaric multiplet mass equation (IMME), which has, in most cases, been validated to a high degree of precision. A recent measurement [Kankainen et al., Phys. Rev. C 93 041304(R) (2016)] of the ground-state mass of $^{31}$Cl led to a substantial breakdown of the IMME for the lowest $A = 31, T = 3/2$ quartet. The second-lowest $A = 31, T = 3/2$ quartet is not complete, due to uncertainties associated with the identity of the $^{31}$S member state. Using a fast $^{31}$Cl beam implanted into a plastic scintillator and a high-purity Ge $γ$-ray detection array, $γ$ rays from the $^{31}$Cl$(βγ)$$^{31}$S sequence were measured. Shell-model calculations using USDB and the recently-developed USDE interactions were performed for comparison. Isospin mixing between the $^{31}$S isobaric analog state (IAS) at 6279.0(6) keV and a nearby state at 6390.2(7) keV was observed. The second $T = 3/2$ state in $^{31}$S was observed at $E_x = 7050.0(8)$ keV. Isospin mixing in $^{31}$S does not by itself explain the IMME breakdown in the lowest quartet, but it likely points to similar isospin mixing in the mirror nucleus $^{31}$P, which would result in a perturbation of the $^{31}$P IAS energy. USDB and USDE calculations both predict candidate $^{31}$P states responsible for the mixing in the energy region slightly above $E_x = 6400$ keV. The second quartet has been completed thanks to the identification of the second $^{31}$S $T = 3/2$ state, and the IMME is validated in this quartet.

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arXiv2016

Determination of the Neutron-Capture Rate of 17C for the R-process Nucleosynthesis

With the R$^{3}$B-LAND setup at GSI we have measured exclusive relative-energy spectra of the Coulomb dissociation of $^{18}$C at a projectile energy around 425~AMeV on a lead target, which are needed to determine the radiative neutron-capture cross sections of $^{17}$C into the ground state of $^{18}$C. Those data have been used to constrain theoretical calculations for transitions populating excited states in $^{18}$C. This allowed to derive the astrophysical cross section $σ^{*}_{\mathrm{n}γ}$ accounting for the thermal population of $^{17}$C target states in astrophysical scenarios. The experimentally verified capture rate is significantly lower than those of previously obtained Hauser-Feshbach estimations at temperatures $T_{9}\leq{}1$~GK. Network simulations with updated neutron-capture rates and hydrodynamics according to the neutrino-driven wind model as well as the neutron-star merger scenario reveal no pronounced influence of neutron capture of $^{17}$C on the production of second- and third-peak elements in contrast to earlier sensitivity studies.

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arXiv2016

Integral measurement of the $^{12}$C(n,p)$^{12}$B reaction up to 10 GeV

The integral measurement of the $^{12}$C(n,p)$^{12}$B reaction was performed at the neutron time of flight facility n_TOF at CERN. The total number of $^{12}$B nuclei produced per neutron pulse of the n_TOF beam was determined using the activation technique in combination with a time of flight technique. The cross section is integrated over the n_TOF neutron energy spectrum from reaction threshold at 13.6 MeV to 10 GeV. Having been measured up to 1 GeV on basis of the $^{235}$U(n,f) reaction, the neutron energy spectrum above 200 MeV has been reevaluated due to the recent extension of the cross section reference for this particular reaction, which is otherwise considered a standard up to 200 MeV. The results from the dedicated GEANT4 simulations have been used to evaluate the neutron flux from 1 GeV up to 10 GeV. The experimental results related to the $^{12}$C(n,p)$^{12}$B reaction are compared with the evaluated cross sections from major libraries and with the predictions of different GEANT4 models, which mostly underestimate the $^{12}$B production. On the contrary, a good reproduction of the integral cross section derived from measurements is obtained with TALYS-1.6 calculations, with optimized parameters.

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arXiv2016

Time-of-flight mass measurements of neutron-rich chromium isotopes up to N = 40 and implications for the accreted neutron star crust

We present the mass excesses of 59-64Cr, obtained from recent time-of-flight nuclear mass measurements at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory at Michigan State University. The mass of 64Cr is determined for the first time, with an atomic mass excess of -33.48(44) MeV. We find a significantly different two-neutron separation energy S2n trend for neutron-rich isotopes of chromium, removing the previously observed enhancement in binding at N=38. Additionally, we extend the S2n trend for chromium to N=40, revealing behavior consistent with the previously identified island of inversion in this region. We compare our results to state-of-the-art shell-model calculations performed with a modified Lenzi-Nowacki-Poves-Sieja interaction in the fp shell, including the g9/2 and d5/2 orbits for the neutron valence space. We employ our result for the mass of 64Cr in accreted neutron star crust network calculations and find a reduction in the strength and depth of electron-capture heating from the A=64 isobaric chain, resulting in a cooler than expected accreted neutron star crust. This reduced heating is found to be due to the >1-MeV reduction in binding for 64Cr with respect to values from commonly used global mass models.

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arXiv2016

Isospin Mixing Reveals $^{30}$P($p,γ$)$^{31}$S Resonance Influencing Nova Nucleosynthesis

The thermonuclear $^{30}$P($p,γ$)$^{31}$S reaction rate is critical for modeling the final elemental and isotopic abundances of ONe nova nucleosynthesis, which affect the calibration of proposed nova thermometers and the identification of presolar nova grains, respectively. Unfortunately, the rate of this reaction is essentially unconstrained experimentally, because the strengths of key $^{31}$S proton capture resonance states are not known, largely due to uncertainties in their spins and parities. Using the $β$ decay of $^{31}$Cl, we have observed the $β$-delayed $γ$ decay of a $^{31}$S state at $E_x = 6390.2(7)$ keV, with a $^{30}$P($p,γ$)$^{31}$S resonance energy of $E_r = 259.3(8)$ keV, in the middle of the $^{30}$P($p,γ$)$^{31}$S Gamow window for peak nova temperatures. This state exhibits isospin mixing with the nearby isobaric analog state (IAS) at $E_x = 6279.0(6)$ keV, giving it an unambiguous spin and parity of $3/2^+$ and making it an important $l = 0$ resonance for proton capture on $^{30}$P.

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arXiv2016

Systematic investigation of projectile fragmentation using beams of unstable B and C isotopes

Background: Models describing nuclear fragmentation and fragmentation-fission deliver important input for planning nuclear physics experiments and future radioactive ion beam facilities. These models are usually benchmarked against data from stable beam experiments. In the future, two-step fragmentation reactions with exotic nuclei as stepping stones are a promising tool to reach the most neutron-rich nuclei, creating a need for models to describe also these reactions. Purpose: We want to extend the presently available data on fragmentation reactions towards the light exotic region on the nuclear chart. Furthermore, we want to improve the understanding of projectile fragmentation especially for unstable isotopes. Method: We have measured projectile fragments from 10,12-18C and 10-15B isotopes colliding with a carbon target. These measurements were all performed within one experiment, which gives rise to a very consistent dataset. We compare our data to model calculations. Results: One-proton removal cross sections with different final neutron numbers (1pxn) for relativistic 10,12-18C and 10-15B isotopes impinging on a carbon target. Comparing model calculations to the data, we find that EPAX is not able to describe the data satisfactorily. Using ABRABLA07 on the other hand, we find that the average excitation energy per abraded nucleon needs to be decreased from 27 MeV to 8.1 MeV. With that decrease ABRABLA07 describes the data surprisingly well. Conclusions: Extending the available data towards light unstable nuclei with a consistent set of new data have allowed for a systematic investigation of the role of the excitation energy induced in projectile fragmentation. Most striking is the apparent mass dependence of the average excitation energy per abraded nucleon. Nevertheless, this parameter, which has been related to final-state interactions, requires further study.

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arXiv2015

Mass Measurements Demonstrate a Strong N =28 Shell Gap in Argon

We present results from recent time-of-flight nuclear mass measurements at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory at Michigan State University. We report the first mass measurements of 48Ar and 49Ar and find atomic mass excesses of -22.28(31) MeV and -17.8(1.1) MeV, respectively. These masses provide strong evidence for the closed shell nature of neutron number N=28 in argon, which is therefore the lowest even-Z element exhibiting the N=28 closed shell. The resulting trend in binding-energy differences, which probes the strength of the N=28 shell, compares favorably with shellmodel calculations in the sd-pf shell using SDPF-U and SDPF-MU Hamiltonians.

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arXiv2015

Mass measurement of 56Sc reveals a small A=56 odd-even mass staggering, implying a cooler accreted neutron star crust

We present the mass excesses of 52-57Sc, obtained from recent time-of-flight nuclear mass measurements at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory at Michigan State University. The masses of 56Sc and 57Sc were determined for the first time with atomic mass excesses of -24.85(59)(+0 -54) MeV and -21.0(1.3) MeV, respectively, where the asymmetric uncertainty for 56Sc was included due to possible contamination from a long-lived isomer. The 56Sc mass indicates a small odd-even mass staggering in the A = 56 mass-chain towards the neutron drip line, significantly deviating from trends predicted by the global FRDM mass model and favoring trends predicted by the UNEDF0 and UNEDF1 density functional calculations. Together with new shell-model calculations of the electron-capture strength function of 56Sc, our results strongly reduce uncertainties in model calculations of the heating and cooling at the 56Ti electron-capture layer in the outer crust of accreting neutron stars. We found that, in contrast to previous studies, neither strong neutrino cooling nor strong heating occurs in this layer. We conclude that Urca cooling in the outer crusts of accreting neutron stars that exhibit superbursts or high temperature steady-state burning, which are predicted to be rich in A=56 nuclei, is considerably weaker than predicted. Urca cooling must instead be dominated by electron capture on the small amounts of adjacent odd-A nuclei contained in the superburst and high temperature steady-state burning ashes. This may explain the absence of strong crust Urca cooling inferred from the observed cooling light curve of the transiently accreting x-ray source MAXI J0556-332.

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arXiv2015

Neutron single-particle strength in silicon isotopes: Constraining the driving forces of shell evolution

Shell evolution is studied in the neutron-rich silicon isotopes 36,38,40 Si using neutron single-particle strengths deduced from one-neutron knockout reactions. Configurations involving neutron excita- tions across the N = 20 and N = 28 shell gaps are quantified experimentally in these rare isotopes. Comparisons with shell model calculations show that the tensor force, understood to drive the col- lective behavior in 42 Si with N = 28, is already important in determining the structure of 40 Si with N = 26. New data relating to cross-shell excitations provide the first quantitative support for repulsive contributions to the cross-shell T = 1 interaction arising from three-nucleon forces.

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arXiv2015

Spectroscopy of $^{28}$Na: shell evolution toward the drip line

Excited states in $^{28}$Na have been studied using the $β$-decay of implanted $^{28}$Ne ions at GANIL/LISE as well as the in-beam $γ$-ray spectroscopy at the NSCL/S800 facility. New states of positive (J$^π$=3,4$^+$) and negative (J$^π$=1-5$^-$) parity are proposed. The former arise from the coupling between 0d$\_{5/2}$ protons and a 0d$\_{3/2}$ neutron, while the latter are due to couplings with 1p$\_{3/2}$ or 0f$\_{7/2}$ neutrons. While the relative energies between the J$^π$=1-4$^+$ states are well reproduced with the USDA interaction in the N=17 isotones, a progressive shift in the ground state binding energy (by about 500 keV) is observed between $^{26}$F and $^{30}$Al. This points to a possible change in the proton-neutron 0d$\_{5/2}$-0d$\_{3/2}$ effective interaction when moving from stability to the drip line. The presence of J$^π$=1-4$^-$ negative parity states around 1.5 MeV as well as of a candidate for a J$^π$=5$^-$ state around 2.5 MeV give further support to the collapse of the N=20 gap and to the inversion between the 0f$\_{7/2}$ and 1p$\_{3/2}$ levels below Z=12. These features are discussed in the framework of Shell Model and EDF calculations, leading to predicted negative parity states in the low energy spectra of the $^{26}$F and $^{25}$O nuclei.

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