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The direct detection of dark matter is a key problem in astroparticle physics that generally requires the use of deep-underground laboratories for a low-background environment where the rare signals from dark matter interactions can be observed. This work reports on the Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory – currently under construction and the first such laboratory in the Southern Hemisphere – and the associated research program. A particular focus will be given to ANU’s contribution to SABRE, a NaI:Tl dark matter, direct detection experiment that aims to confirm or refute the long-standing DAMA result. Preliminary measurements of the NaI:Tl quenching factor and characterisation of the SABRE liquid scintillator veto are reported.

Electric monopole (E0) transitions are a highly sensitive probe of the charge distribution of an atomic nucleus. A large E0 transition strength (ρ2(E0)) is a clear indicator of nuclear shape coexistence. In the region between doubly magic 40Ca and 56Ni, E0 transitions have never been observed in the Ti or Cr isotopes, nor in the heavier iron isotopes (56,58Fe). We have performed the first measurements of the E0 transitions in 52Cr via conversion-electron and pair-conversion spectroscopy using the Super-e spectrometer at the Australian National University Heavy Ion Accelerator Facility. We present the first spectra obtained for 52Cr, including the first observation of the E0 transition from the first-excited 0+ state in 52Cr, in both electron-positron pairs and conversion-electron spectroscopy. The preliminary values for the E0 strength in the 1531keV 2+ → 2+ transition in 52Cr is ρ2(E0) × 103 = 470(190), and for the 1728-keV 23+ → 21+ transition, it is ρ2(E0) 103 = 1800(1200). The large E0 strengths observed are consistent with shape coexistence in this region. However, despite the relatively precise observation of the conversion-electron and electron-positron pair intensities, the E0 strengths have large uncertainties. More precise determinations of relevant spectroscopic quantities, such as the state lifetimes and transition mixing ratios for mixed M1 + E2 transitions, are needed to determine the E0 strength more precisely.

The emergence of nuclear collectivity near doubly-magic 132Sn was explored along the stable, eveneven 124−130Te isotopes. Preliminary measurements of the B(E2; 41+ → 21+) transition strengths are reported from Coulomb excitation experiments primarily aimed at measuring the g factors of the 41+ states. Isotopically enriched Te targets were excited by 198-205 MeV 58Ni beams. A comparison of transition strengths obtained is made to large-scale shell-model calculations with successes and limitations discussed.

β-decay spectroscopy of nuclei far from stability can provide powerful insight into a broad variety of topics in nuclear science, ranging from exotic nuclear structure phenomena, stellar nucleosynthesis processes, and applied topics such as quantifying “decay heat” discrepancies for advanced nuclear fuel cycles. Neutronrich nuclei approaching the drip-line are difficult to access experimentally, leaving many key examples largely under studied. The CARIBU radioactive beam facility at Argonne National Laboratory exploits spontaneous fission of 252Cf in production of such beams. The X-Array and SATURN decay station have been commissioned to perform detailed decay spectroscopy of low-energy CARIBU beams. An extended science campaign was started during 2015; with projects investigating nuclear shape changes, collective octupole vibrations, β-delayed neutron emission, and decay-scheme properties which could explain the reactor antineutrino puzzle. In this article we review the current status of the setup, update on the first results and recent hardware upgrades, and look forward to future possibilities.

A method is presented for obtaining ground-state and isomeric lifetimes from storage-ring data. The method published by Schmidt et al. is extended to the problems and solutions associated with applying their method to storage-ring data. These developed procedures are applied to real experimental data for 193Re, and a mean-lifetime value of 37-7+9 s is obtained. This is consistent with a previous measurement.

Excited states in 62Ni were populated with a (p, p’) reaction using the 14UD Pelletron accelerator at the Australian National University. Electric monopole transition strengths, ρ2(E0), were measured through simultaneous detection of the internal conversion electrons and γ rays emitted from the de-excitation of populated states, using the Super-e spectrometer coupled with a germanium detector. The strength of the 02+ to 01+ transition has been measured to be 77−34+23 × 10−3 and agrees with previously reported values. Upper limits have been placed on the 03+ to 01+ and 03+ to 02+ transitions. The measured ρ2(E0) value of the 22+ to 21+ transition in 62Ni has been measured for the first time and found to be one of the largest ρ2(E0) values measured to date in nuclei heavier than Ca. The low-lying states of 62Ni have previously been classified as one- and two-phonon vibrational states based on level energies. The measured electric quadrupole transition strengths are consistent with this interpretation. However as electric monopole transitions are forbidden between states which differ by one phonon number, the simple harmonic quadrupole vibrational picture is not suffcient to explain the large ρ2(E0) value for the 22+ to 21+ transition.

Solenogam is a recoil spectrometer designed and constructed for use at the Australian National University (ANU) Heavy-Ion Accelerator Facility (HIAF). The design enables the study of nuclear excitations populated by the decay of long-lived states such as isomers and radioactive ground states. Solenogam is comprised of high-sensitivity γ-ray and electron detector arrays coupled to a new 8-T solenoid. While the installation of the 8-T solenoid proceeds, off-line measurements have been made to characterise Solenogam’s performance. Gamma-electron coincidences in the electron capture decay of 182Re into 182W were used to investigate conversion coeffcients and γ-e– angular correlations. The measured conversion coeffcients show good agreement with theoretical calculations and have been used to extract E0/E2 mixing ratios for a number of J → J transitions. The angular correlations measured by the array are in qualitative agreement with theoretical calculations. However, the magnitudes of the correlations are attenuated by approximately 40% for reasons unknown at present. These results are the first full use of the Solenogam system for γ-e– coincidence measurements and have proven that the system is capable of highly-sensitive internal conversion analysis of complex decays.

The heavy ion storage rings coupled to in-flight radioactive-ion beam facilities, namely the ability to produce and store for extended periods of time radioactive nuclides in high atomic charge states, for the searchof yet unobserved decay mode – bound-state electron-positron pair decay.

Deep-inelastic collisions of a 208Pb beam on a 208Pb target were performed using the ATLAS accelerator at Argonne National Laboratory. The Gammasphere detector array was used for the detection of prompt and delayed gamma-rays of the reaction products.207Tl is one proton away from the 208Pb doubly-magic nucleus. Its low-energy level structure is dominated by the single proton-hole states πs1/2−1, πd3/2−1 and πh11/2−1. The 11/2− state is isomeric with T1/2 = 1.33(11) s. The reaction partner of 207Tl is 209Bi, which has arelatively well established level scheme compared to 207Tl. Cross-coincidences between these two nuclei were used to confirm or establish levels above the 11/2− isomeric state in 207Tl. These states are obtained via breaking of the neutron core. Angular correlation analysis was performed on known transitions in 208Pb, proving the applicability of this method for multipolarity assignment.

The unfavoured signature of the rotation-aligned band associated with the prolate h9/2 structure in 187T1 has been identified. The deformation-aligned 11/2−[505] band is also confirmed and extended. While the alignment properties of the 11/2−[505] band seem to indicate that it has a similar magnitude of deformation as the prolate 186Hg core, the signature splitting at low spin, taken together with new self-consistent calculations, suggest that it may actually be triaxial with γ ≈ −180 near the bandhead.

The structure of 210Fr has been studied through the 197Au(18O, 5n)210Fr reaction. A high-spin isomeric state has been identified at ~4.4 MeV. It has a lifetime of 686(17) ns and decays by two γ-rays that are very likely to be either M2 or E3 multipolarity. The measured strengths in the case of E3 assignments are approximatively 8 and 21 W.u., respectively. These would be less enhanced than is observed in the decay from the high spin isomers in 209Fr and 211Fr that are believed to be from a related configuration. Possible configuration assignments are discussed.

A fast-timing experiment was performed at the Argonne National Laboratory to measure the lifetimes of the lowest lying states of nuclei belonging to the deformed regions around mass number A≃110 and A≃150. These regions were populated via spontaneous fission of 252Cf and the gamma radiation following the decay of excited states in the fission fragments was measured using 51 Gammasphere detectors coupled with 25 LaBr3:Ce detectors. A brief description of the acquisition system and some preliminary results from the fast-timing analysis of the fission fragment 100Zr are presented. The lifetime value of τ = 840(65) ps was found for the 2+ state in 100Zr consistent within one standard deviation of the adopted value with 791 +26 -35ps. This is associated with a quadrupole deformation parameter of 0.36(2) which is within one standard deviation of the literature value of 0.3556+82 -57.

This contribution will report on the experimental work on the level structure of 168Dy. The experimental data have been taken as part of the EURICA decay spectroscopy campaign at RIBF, RIKEN in November 2014. In the experiment, a 238U primary beam is accelerated up to 345 MeV/u with an average intensity of 12 pnA. The nuclei of interest are produced by in-flight fission of 238U impinging on Be target with a thickness of 5 mm. The excited states of 168Dy have been populated through the decay from a newly identified isomeric state and via the β decay from 168Tb. In this contribution, scientific motivations, experimental procedure and some preliminary results for this study are presented.

This short paper presents the identification of a metastable, isomeric-state decay in the neutron-rich odd-odd, prolate-deformed nucleus 166Tb. The nucleus of interest was formed using the in-flight fission of a 345 MeV per nucleon 238U primary beam at the RIBF facility, RIKEN, Japan. Gamma-ray transitions decaying from the observed isomeric states in 166Tb were identified using the EURICA gamma-ray spectrometer, positioned at the final focus of the BigRIPS fragments separator. The current work identifies a single discrete gamma-ray transition of energy 119 keV which de-excites an isomeric state in 166Tb with a measured half-life of 3.5(4) μs. The multipolarity assignment for this transition is an electric dipole and is made on the basis internal conversion and decay lifetime arguments. Possible two quasi-particle Nilsson configurations for the initial and final states which are linked by this transition in 166Tb are made on the basis of comparison with Blocked BCS Nilsson calculations, with the predicted ground state configuration for this nucleus arising from the coupling of the v(1-/2)[521] and π(3+/2) Nilsson orbitals.

Recent results on high-spin isomers populated in deep-inelastic reactions in the transitional tungsten-osmium region are outlined with a focus on 190Os, 192Os and 194Os. As well as the characterization of several two-quasinutron isomers, the 12+ and 20+ isomers in 192Os are interpreted as manifestations of maximal rotation alignment within the neutron i13/2 and possibly proton h11/2 shells at oblate deformation.

A 6.5 Tesla superconducting gas-filled solenoid (SOLITAIRE) has been developed at the Heavy Ion Accelerator Facility at the ANU as a reaction product separator. Key features of the device allowing its application for precise measurement of heavy ion fusion cross sections are described. The physical separation of beam particles and the high efficiency (~80%) transport of heavy ion fusion products open up applications in nuclear structure physics, and in materials science. Finally, the developments to allow its application to providing beams of light radioactive isotopes (SOLEROO) are described.

Excited states in neutron-rich tantalum isotopes have been studied with deep-inelastic reactions using 136Xe ions incident on a 186W target. New transitions observed below the τ=1.3 μs isomer in 183Ta have enabled the establishment of its energy and put limits on the spin and parity. On the basis of the reduced hindrances for the depopulating transitions, a 3-quasiparticle configuration of ν1/2−[510]11/2+[615] ⊗ π9/2−[514] is suggested.