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Mass measurements continue to provide invaluable information for elucidating nuclear structure and scenarios of astrophysical interest. The transition region between the $Z = 20$ and $28$ proton shell closures is particularly interesting due to the onset and evolution of nuclear deformation as nuclei become more neutron rich. This provides a critical testing ground for emerging ab-initio nuclear structure models. Here, we present high-precision mass measurements of neutron-rich chromium isotopes using the sensitive electrostatic Multiple-Reflection Time-Of-Flight Mass Spectrometer (MR-TOF-MS) at TRIUMF's Ion Trap for Atomic and Nuclear Science (TITAN) facility. Our high-precision mass measurements of $^{59, 61-63}$Cr confirm previous results, and the improved precision in measurements of $^{64-65}$Cr refine the mass surface beyond N=40. With the ab initio in-medium similarity renormalization group, we examine the trends in collectivity in chromium isotopes and give a complete picture of the N=40 island of inversion from calcium to nickel., Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures

International audience; A β-decay experiment aiming at investigation of the low-spin structure of 100Zr was performed using the GRIFFIN spectrometer at TRIUMFISAC. Based on the obtained data, a new 2 + state is postulated which is degenerate in energy with the established (5+) level at 2209 keV.

Monte Carlo simulations are widely used in nuclear physics to model experimental systems. In cases where there are significant unknown quantities, such as energies of states, an iterative process of simulating and fitting is often required to describe experimental data. We describe a Bayesian approach to fitting experimental data, designed for data from a $^{12}$Be(d,p) reaction measurement, using simulations made with GEANT4. Q-values from the $^{12}$C(d,p) reaction to well-known states in $^{13}$C are compared with simulations using BayesOpt. The energies of the states were not included in the simulation to reproduce the situation for $^{13}$Be where the states are poorly known. Both cases had low statistics and significant resolution broadening owing to large proton energy losses in the solid deuterium target. Excitation energies of the lowest three excited states in $^{13}$C were extracted to better than 90 keV, paving a way for extracting information on $^{13}$Be., 8 pages, 6 figures

The discovery of presolar grains in primitive meteorites has initiated a new era of research in the study of stellar nucleosynthesis. However, the accurate classification of presolar grains as being of specific stellar origins is particularly challenging. Recently, it has been suggested that sulfur isotopic abundances may hold the key to definitively identifying presolar grains with being of nova origins and, in this regard, the astrophysical 33Cl(p,γ)34Ar reaction is expected to play a decisive role. As such, we have performed a detailed γ-ray spectroscopy study of 34Ar. Excitation energies have been measured with high precision and spin-parity assignments for resonant states, located above the proton threshold in 34Ar, have been made for the first time. Uncertainties in the 33Cl(p,γ) reaction have been dramatically reduced and the results indicate that a newly identified ℓ=0 resonance at Er=396.9(13) keV dominates the entire rate for T=0.25–0.40GK. Furthermore, nova hydrodynamic simulations based on the present work indicate an ejected 32S/33S abundance ratio distinctive from type-II supernovae and potentially compatible with recent measurements of a presolar grain., This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Nuclear Physics, under Contract No. DEAC02-06CH11357 and Grants No. DEFG02-94-ER40834, DEFG02-97-ER41041, DEFG02-97-ER41043, DEFG02-94-ER40848, and DESC0014231. UK personnel were supported by the Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) and C. A. was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. J. J. acknowledges support by the Spanish MINECO Grant No. AYA2017-86274-P, by the E. U. FEDER funds, and by the AGAUR/Generalitat de Catalunya Grant No. SGR661/2017. This research uses resources of ANL’s ATLAS facility, which is a DOE Office of Science User facility.

The high-spin states of the neutron-rich Ga81, with three valence protons outside a Ni78 core, were measured. The measurement involved prompt γ-ray spectroscopy of fission fragments isotopically identified using the combination of the variable mode spectrometer (VAMOS++) and the advanced gamma tracking array (AGATA). The new γ-ray transitions, observed in coincidence with Ga81 ions, and the corresponding level scheme do not confirm the high-spin levels reported earlier. The newly observed high-spin states in Ga81 are interpreted using the results of state-of-the-art large-scale shell model (LSSM) calculations. The lower excitation energy levels are understood as resulting from the recoupling of three valence protons to the closed doubly magic core, while the highest excitation energy levels correspond to excitations of the magic N=50 neutron core. These results support the doubly magic character of Ni78 and the persistence of the N=50 shell closure but also highlight the presence of strong proton-neutron correlations associated with the promotion of neutrons across the magic N=50 shell gap, only few nucleons away from Ni78.

The elusive $\beta^-\text{p}^+$ decay was observed in $^{11}$Be by directly measuring the emitted protons and their energy distribution for the first time with the prototype Active Target Time Projection Chamber (pAT-TPC) in an experiment performed at ISAC-TRIUMF. The measured $\beta^-\text{p}^+$ branching ratio is orders of magnitude larger than any previous theoretical model predicted. This can be explained by the presence of a narrow resonance in $^{11}$B above the proton separation energy.

Lifetime measurements of excited states of the light N = 52 isotones 88 Kr , 86 Se , and 84 Ge have been performed, using the recoil distance Doppler shift method and VAMOS and AGATA spectrometers for particle identification and gamma spectroscopy, respectively. The reduced electric quadrupole transition probabilities B ( E 2 ; 2 + → 0 + ) and B ( E 2 ; 4 + → 2 + ) were obtained for the first time for the hard-to-reach 84 Ge . While the B ( E 2 ; 2 + → 0 + ) values of 88 Kr , 86 Se saturate the maximum quadrupole collectivity offered by the natural valence ( 3 s , 2 d , 1 g 7 / 2 , 1 h 11 / 2 ) space of an inert 78 Ni core, the value obtained for 84 Ge largely exceeds it, suggesting that shape coexistence phenomena, previously reported at N ≲ 49 , extend beyond N = 50 . The onset of collectivity at Z = 32 is understood as due to a pseudo-SU(3) organization of the proton single-particle sequence reflecting a clear manifestation of pseudospin symmetry. It is realized that the latter provides actually reliable guidance for understanding the observed proton and neutron single particle structure in the whole medium-mass region, from Ni to Sn, pointing towards the important role of the isovector-vector ρ field in shell-structure evolution.

Prompt γ-ray spectroscopy of the neutron-rich $^{96}$Kr, produced in transfer- and fusion-induced fission reactions, has been performed using the combination of the Advanced Gamma Tracking Array and the VAMOS++ spectrometer. A second excited state, assigned to $J^π$ = $4^+$, is observed for the first time, and a previously reported level energy of the first 2+ excited state is confirmed. The measured energy ratio R4/2 = E($4^+$)/E($2^+$) = 2.12(1) indicates that this nucleus does not show a well-developed collectivity contrary to that seen in heavier N = 60 isotones. This new measurement highlights an abrupt transition of the degree of collectivity as a function of the proton number at Z = 36, of similar amplitude to that observed at N = 60 at higher Z values. A possible reason for this abrupt transition could be related to the insufficient proton excitations in the g9/2, d5/2, and s1/2 orbitals to generate strong quadrupole correlations or to the coexistence of competing different shapes. An unexpected continuous decrease of R4/2 as a function of the neutron number up to N = 60 is also evidenced. This measurement establishes the Kr isotopic chain as the low-Z boundary of the island of deformation for N = 60 isotones. A comparison with available theoretical predictions using different beyond mean-field approaches shows that these models fail to reproduce the abrupt transitions at N = 60 and Z = 36.

Prompt γ-ray spectroscopy of the neutron-rich ^{96}Kr, produced in transfer- and fusion-induced fission reactions, has been performed using the combination of the Advanced Gamma Tracking Array and the VAMOS++ spectrometer. A second excited state, assigned to J^{π}=4^{+}, is observed for the first time, and a previously reported level energy of the first 2^{+} excited state is confirmed. The measured energy ratio R_{4/2}=E(4^{+})/E(2^{+})=2.12(1) indicates that this nucleus does not show a well-developed collectivity contrary to that seen in heavier N=60 isotones. This new measurement highlights an abrupt transition of the degree of collectivity as a function of the proton number at Z=36, of similar amplitude to that observed at N=60 at higher Z values. A possible reason for this abrupt transition could be related to the insufficient proton excitations in the g_{9/2}, d_{5/2}, and s_{1/2} orbitals to generate strong quadrupole correlations or to the coexistence of competing different shapes. An unexpected continuous decrease of R_{4/2} as a function of the neutron number up to N=60 is also evidenced. This measurement establishes the Kr isotopic chain as the low-Z boundary of the island of deformation for N=60 isotones. A comparison with available theoretical predictions using different beyond mean-field approaches shows that these models fail to reproduce the abrupt transitions at N=60 and Z=36.

Precision measurements of superallowed Fermi β-decay transitions, particularly for the lightest superallowed emitters ^{10}C and ^{14}O, set stringent limits on possible scalar current contributions to the weak interaction. In the present work, a discrepancy between recent measurements of the ^{10}C half-life is addressed through two high-precision half-life measurements, via γ-ray photopeak and β counting, that yield consistent results for the ^{10}C half-life of T_{1/2}=19.2969±0.0074 s and T_{1/2}=19.3009±0.0017 s, respectively. The latter is the most precise superallowed β-decay half-life measurement reported to date and the first to achieve a relative precision below 10^{-4}. A fit to the world superallowed β-decay data including the ^{10}C half-life measurements reported here yields b_{F}=-0.0018±0.0021 (68% C.L.) for the Fierz interference term and C_{S}/C_{V}=+0.0009±0.0011 for the ratio of the weak scalar to vector couplings assuming left-handed neutrinos.

The light krypton isotopes were studied in a series of Coulomb excitation experiments using radioactive beams at GANIL. The static quadrupole moments found in these experiments give firm experimental evidence for the shape coexistence scenario that is based on theoretical calculations and on the systematics of low-lying excited 0+ states. The experimental results are interpreted within a phenomenological two-band mixing model. Configuration mixing calculations based on triaxial Hartree-Fock-Bogolyubov calculations with the Gogny D1S effective interaction have been performed and compared to experimental data.

The N=48 ^{80}Ge nucleus is studied by means of β-delayed electron-conversion spectroscopy at ALTO. The radioactive ^{80}Ga beam is produced through the isotope separation on line photofission technique and collected on a movable tape for the measurement of γ and e^{-} emission following β decay. An electric monopole E0 transition, which points to a 639(1) keV intruder 0_{2}^{+} state, is observed for the first time. This new state is lower than the 2_{1}^{+} level in ^{80}Ge, and provides evidence of shape coexistence close to one of the most neutron-rich doubly magic nuclei discovered so far, ^{78}Ni. This result is compared with theoretical estimates, helping to explain the role of monopole and quadrupole forces in the weakening of the N=50 gap at Z=32. The evolution of intruder 0_{2}^{+} states towards ^{78}Ni is discussed.

In response to new opportunities presented by re-accelerated beams from the ISAC-II facility at TRIUMF, a plunger-type Recoil Distance Method device, the TIGRESS Integrated Plunger, is under construction to be used with the TIGRESS segmented germanium array. An experimental program aimed in nuclear structure measurements along the N=Z line is planned. Lifetime measurements in the shape-coexistence region near N∼Z∼36 are anticipated to provide information of significance to Vud matrix element evaluation from superallowed beta-decay measurements.

Based on results from a measurement of weak decay branches observed following the β- decay of 94Y and on lifetime data from a study of 94Zr by inelastic neutron scattering, collective structure is deduced in the closed-subshell nucleus 94Zr. These results establish shape coexistence in 94Zr. The role of subshells for nuclear collectivity is suggested to be important.

A high-precision half-life measurement for the superallowed β+ emitter 26Al(m) was performed at the TRIUMF-ISAC radioactive ion beam facility yielding T 1/2 6346.54 ± 0.46(stat) ± 0.60 (syst) ms, consistent with, but 2.5 times more precise than, the previous world average. The 26Al(m) half-life and ft value, 3037.53(61) s, are now the most precisely determined for any superallowed β decay. Combined with recent theoretical corrections for isospin-symmetry-breaking and radiative effects, the corrected Ft value for (26)Al(m), 3073.0(12) s, sets a new benchmark for the high-precision superallowed Fermi β-decay studies used to test the conserved vector current hypothesis and determine the V(ud) element of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa quark mixing matrix.

To extract the effective neutrino Majorana mass from an observed 0νββ decay, precise knowledge of the involved nuclear matrix element is required. This poses a challenge to nuclear structure models. In particular, calculations based on the proton‐neutron Quasiparticle Random Phase Approximation show significant discrepancies with experimental electron capture (EC) rates of the intermediate nucleus even when tuned on 2νββ decay rates. However, EC branching ratios (BR) are in many cases not well known because the strengths of these decay branches are at the sensitivity limit of traditional experimental techniques. Here, we present a novel approach at TITAN/TRIUMF to measure EC‐BR and to overcome shortcomings of previous methods. We also present results of a first proof‐of‐principle experiment which represents the very first observation of an electron capture in a Penning trap.

GANIL E344aS; Shape coexistence in the light krypton isotopes was studied in two low-energy Coulomb excitation experiments using radioactive $^{74}$Kr and $^{76}$Kr beams from the SPIRAL facility at GANIL. The ground-state bands in both isotopes were populated up to the $8^+$ state via multi-step Coulomb excitation, and several non-yrast states were observed. Large sets of matrix elements were extracted for both nuclei from the observed $\\gamma$-ray yields. Diagonal matrix elements were determined by utilizing the reorientation effect. In both isotopes the spectroscopic quadrupole moments for the ground-state bands and the bands based on excited $0_2^+$ states are found to have opposite signs. The experimental data are interpreted within a phenomenological two-band mixing model and model-independent quadrupole invariants are deduced for the relevant $0^+$ states using the complete sets of matrix elements and the formalism of quadrupole sum rules. Configuration mixing calculations based on triaxial Hartree-Fock-Bogolyubov calculations with the Gogny D1S effective interaction have been performed and are compared both with the experimental results and with recent calculations using the Skyrme SLy6 effective interaction and the full generator-coordinate method restricted to axial shapes.

Rare isotope beams of neutron-deficient 106,108,110Sn from the fragmentation of 124Xe were employed in an intermediate-energy Coulomb excitation experiment. The measured B(E2,0(1)(+)--2(1)(+)) values for 108Sn and 110Sn and the results obtained for the 106Sn show that the transition strengths for these nuclei are larger than predicted by current state-of-the-art shell-model calculations. This discrepancy might be explained by contributions of the protons from within the Z = 50 shell to the structure of low-energy excited states in this region.

A high-precision branching ratio measurement for the superallowed beta+ decay of 62Ga was performed at the Isotope Separator and Accelerator radioactive ion beam facility. Nineteen gamma rays emitted following beta+ decay of 62Ga were identified, establishing the dominant superallowed branching ratio to be (99.861+/-0.011)%. Combined with recent half-life and Q-value measurements, this branching ratio yields a superallowed ft value of 3075.6+/-1.4 s for 62Ga decay. These results demonstrate the feasibility of high-precision superallowed branching ratio measurements in the Aor=62 mass region and provide the first stringent tests of the large isospin-symmetry-breaking effects predicted for these decays.

High-spin states in 58Ni have been investigated by means of the fusion-evaporation reaction 28Si(32S, 2p)58Ni at 130 MeV beam energy. Discrete-energy levels are observed in 58Ni at record-breaking 42 MeV excitation energy and angular momenta in excess of 30h. The states form regular rotational bands with unprecedented high rotational frequencies. A comparison with configuration dependent cranked Nilsson-Strutinsky calculations reveals an exceptional two-band crossing scenario, the interaction strength of which is strongly shape dependent.

Low-lying excited states in the odd-odd N = Z nucleus 62Ga have been investigated following the heavy-ion fusion-evaporation reaction 40Ca(24Mg,pn)62Ga near the Coulomb barrier. Special emphasis is devoted to the search for nonyrast states. The extended decay scheme of 62Ga is compared to spherical shell-model calculations employing the pf5/2g9/2 valence space.

The decay-out process of the yrast superdeformed band in 59Cu has been investigated. The firm determination of spin, parity, excitation energy, and configuration of the states involved in this process constitutes a unique situation for a detailed understanding of the decay-out mechanism. A theoretical model is introduced that includes a residual interaction and tunneling matrix element between bands, calculated in the configuration-dependent cranked Nilsson-Strutinsky model. This interaction causes the decay to occur via a small number of observed doorway states.

Five prompt proton decay lines have been identified between deformed states in (59)Cu and three spherical states in (58)Ni by means of high-resolution in-beam particle-gamma gamma coincidence spectroscopy. The GAMMASPHERE array coupled to dedicated ancillary detectors including four Delta E-E silicon strip detectors was used to study high-spin states in (59)Cu. The multiple discrete proton lines are found to probe the wave functions of states in the decay-out regime of well- and superdeformed states.

The first measurement of the one-neutron transfer reaction 11Li(p,d)10Li performed using the IRIS facility at TRIUMF with a 5.7A MeV 11Li beam interacting with a solid H2 target is reported. The 10Li residue was populated strongly as a resonance peak with energy Er=0.62±0.04 MeV having a total width Γ=0.33±0.07 MeV. The angular distribution of this resonance is characterized by neutron occupying the 1p1/2 orbital. A DWBA analysis yields a spectroscopic factor of 0.67±0.12 for p1/2 removal strength from the ground state of 11Li to the region of the peak. Keywords: Halo nucleus, Li10,11, Transfer reaction, Inverse kinematics, DWBA, Spectroscopic factor

In a total number of 1,109 cases of gastric carcinomas (encountered between 1949 and 1973) the authors have noted 122 cases with oeso-gastric localization in which 29 total gastrectomies were performed and 50 superior polar resections with oeso-gastric anastomosis (the mortality in both groups of patients was of 20%).

Over a period of 29 years (1949--1977) a total of 50 extended gastroduodenopancreatectomies have been performed in 309 patients with cancer of the subhepatic region. The indication for this type of surgery was determined by: 20 malignant lesions of the head of the pancreas, 14 cancers of the Vater ampula, 10 neoplasies of the juxta-vaterian duodenal portion, and 6 stenosing malignant tumors of the terminal choledocus. The major operation, of long duration, employed in radical oncologic treatment, entailed 13 postoperative deaths (26%) and resulted in an average survival of 2 years. Eight of the patients were alive after a follow-up of 5 years. The Child procedure was used 32 times, the remaining cases being operated according to a personal technique, in two variants. The results of paleative interventions are discussed in parallel. These consisted in simple bilio-digestive derivations. Based on the authors personal experience, and considering the data published in the specialized literature it may be postulated that oncologic surgery, such as that applied in extended gastroduodenopancreatectomy is fully justified when general and intra-operative conditions allow such interventions. The results depend, to a large extent, on the early diagnosis of these cancers.