Search

Excited states of 122Xe were studied via the β+/EC decay of 122Cs with the 8π γ-ray spectrometer at the TRIUMF-ISAC facility. Compton-suppressed HPGe detectors were used for measurements of γ-ray intensities, γγ coincidences, and γ-γ angular correlations. Two sets of data were collected to optimize the decays of the ground (21.2 s) and isomeric (3.7 min) states of 122Cs. The data collected have enabled the observation of about 505 new transitions and about 250 new levels, including 51 new low-spin states. Spin assignments have been made for 58 low-spin states based on the deduced β-decay feeding and γ-γ angular correlation analyses.

A program of nuclear structure studies to support fundamental symmetry tests has been initiated. Motivated by the search for an electric dipole moment in 199Hg, the structure in the vicinity has been explored via direct reaction studies. To date, these have included the 198,200Hg(d, d′) inelastic scattering reactions, with the aim to obtain information on the E2 and E3 strength distributions, and the 198Hg(d, p) and 200Hg(d, t) reactions to obtain information on the single-particle states in 199Hg. The studies using the 200Hg targets have been fully analyzed using the FRESCO reaction code yielding the E2 and E3 strength distribution to 4 MeV in excitation energy, and the (d, t) single- particle strength to over 3 MeV in excitation energy.

A new ancillary detector, SPICE (SPectrometer for Internal Conversion Electrons) has been constructed and recently commissioned for use with radioactive ion beams at the TRIUMF-ISAC II facility. SPICE is designed to be operated in conjunction with the TIGRESS High-Purity Germanium (HPGe) spectrometer to perform combined in-beam γ-ray and internal-conversion-electron spectroscopy. The main feature of SPICE is high effciency over a wide range of electron energies from 100 to 3500 keV, with an effective reduction of beam-induced backgrounds. SPICE will be a powerful tool to measure conversion coeffcients and E0 transitions in atomic nuclei. A recent in-beam commissioning experiment demonstrates the effectiveness of the basic design concept of SPICE in background suppression.

The 8π spectrometer, located at TRIUMF-ISAC, was the world’s most powerful spectrometer dedicated to β-decay studies until its decommissioning in early 2014 for replacement with the GRIFFIN array. An integral part of the 8π spectrometer was the Pentagonal Array for Conversion Electron Spectroscopy (PACES) consisting of 5 Si(Li) detectors used for charged-particle detection. PACES enabled both γ − e− and e− − e− coincidence measurements, which were crucial for increasing the sensitivity for discrete e− lines in the presence of large backgrounds. Examples from a 124Cs decay experiment, where the data were vital for the expansion of the 124Cs decay scheme, are shown. With suffcient statistics, measurements of conversion coeffcients can be used to extract the E0 components of Jπ → Jπ transitions for J ≠ 0, which is demonstrated for data obtained in 110In→110Cd decay. With knowledge of the shapes of the states involved, as obtained, for example, from the use of Kumar-Cline shape invariants, the mixing of the states can be extracted.

The half-life of 14O, a superallowed Fermi β+ emitter, has been determined via simultaneous γ and β counting experiments at TRIUMF’s Isotope Separator and Accelerator facility. Following the implantation of 14O samples at the center of the 8π spectrometer, a γ counting measurement was performed by detecting the 2313 keV γ-rays emitted from the first excited state of the daughter 14N using 20 high-purity germanium (HPGe) detectors. A simultaneous β counting experiment was performed using a fast plastic scintillator positioned directly behind the implantation site. The results, T½(γ) = 70:632 ± 0:094 s and T½(β) = 70:610 ± 0:030 s, are consistent with one another and, together with eight previous measurements, establish a new average for the 14O half-life of T½ = 70:619 ± 0:011 s with a reduced χ2 of 0.99.

A nuclear structure campaign has been initiated to investigate the isotopes of mercury near A = 199. Currently 199Hg provides the most stringent limit on an atomic electric dipole moment (EDM). The observation of a permanent EDM would represent a clear signal of CP violation from new physics beyond the Standard Model. Theoretical calculations for 199Hg are very difficult and give varied predictions for the excited-state spectrum. Understanding the E2 and E3 strengths in the neighbouring even-even isotopes of mercury will make it possible to develop a nuclear structure model for the Schiff strength based on these matrix elements, and thereby constrain present model predictions of the contribution of octupole collectivity to the Schiff moment of the nucleus.

A program of high-precision half-life and branching-ratio measurements for superallowed Fermi β emitters is being carried out at TRIUMF’s Isotope Separator and Accelerator (ISAC) radioactive ion beam facility. Recent half-life measurements for the superallowed decays of 14O, 18Ne, and 26Alm, as well as branching-ratio measurements for 26Alm and 74Rb are reported. These results provide demanding tests of the Standard Model and the theoretical isospin symmetry breaking (ISB) corrections in superallowed Fermi β decays.