Search

DEAP-3600 is a liquid-argon scintillation detector looking for dark matter. Scintillation events in the liquid argon (LAr) are registered by 255 photomultiplier tubes (PMTs), and pulseshape discrimination (PSD) is used to suppress electromagnetic background events. The excellent PSD performance of LAr makes it a viable target for dark matter searches, and the LAr scintillation pulseshape discussed here is the basis of PSD. The observed pulseshape is a combination of LAr scintillation physics with detector effects. We present a model for the pulseshape of electromagnetic background events in the energy region of interest for dark matter searches. The model is composed of (a) LAr scintillation physics, including the so-called intermediate component, (b) the time response of the TPB wavelength shifter, including delayed TPB emission at $${\mathcal {O}}$$O(ms) time-scales, and c) PMT response. TPB is the wavelength shifter of choice in most LAr detectors. We find that approximately 10% of the intensity of the wavelength-shifted light is in a long-lived state of TPB. This causes light from an event to spill into subsequent events to an extent not usually accounted for in the design and data analysis of LAr-based detectors.

The DEAP-3600 detector searches for the scintillation signal from dark matter particles scattering on a 3.3 tonne liquid argon target. The largest background comes from $^{39}$Ar beta decays and is suppressed using pulseshape discrimination (PSD). We use two types of PSD algorithm: the prompt-fraction, which considers the fraction of the scintillation signal in a narrow and a wide time window around the event peak, and the log-likelihood-ratio, which compares the observed photon arrival times to a signal and a background model. We furthermore use two algorithms to determine the number of photons detected at a given time: (1) simply dividing the charge of each PMT pulse by the charge of a single photoelectron, and (2) a likelihood analysis that considers the probability to detect a certain number of photons at a given time, based on a model for the scintillation pulseshape and for afterpulsing in the light detectors. The prompt-fraction performs approximately as well as the log-likelihood-ratio PSD algorithm if the photon detection times are not biased by detector effects. We explain this result using a model for the information carried by scintillation photons as a function of the time when they are detected., 14 pages, 9 figures

Gamma-Ray Infrastructure For Fundamental Investigations of Nuclei, GRIFFIN, is a new high-efficiency γ -ray spectrometer designed for use in decay spectroscopy experiments with low-energy radioactive ion beams provided by TRIUMF’s Isotope Separator and Accelerator (ISAC-I) facility. GRIFFIN is composed of sixteen Compton-suppressed large-volume clover-type high-purity germanium (HPGe) γ -ray detectors combined with a suite of ancillary detection systems and coupled to a custom digital data acquisition system. The infrastructure and detectors of the spectrometer as well as the performance characteristics and the analysis techniques applied to the experimental data are described.

The $\beta^-$ decay of $^{47}$K to $^{47}$Ca is an appropriate mechanism for benchmarking interactions spanning the $sd$ and $pf$ shells, but current knowledge of the $\beta^-$-decay scheme is limited. We have performed a high-resolution, high-efficiency study of the $\beta^-$-decay of $^{47}$K with the GRIFFIN spectrometer at TRIUMF-ISAC. The study revealed 48 new transitions, a more precise value for the $^{47}$K half-life (17.38(3)~s), and new spin and parity assignments for eight excited states. Levels placed for the first time here raise the highest state observed in $\beta^-$ decay to within 568(3) keV of the $Q$-value and confirm the previously measured large $\beta^-$-decay branching ratios to the low-lying states. Previously unobserved $\beta^-$-feeding to 3/2$^+$ states between 4.5 and 6.1~MeV excitation energy was identified with a total $\beta^-$-feeding intensity of 1.29(2)\%. The sum of the $B(GT)$ values for these states indicates that the $1s_{1/2}$ proton hole strength near this excitation energy is comparable to the previously known $1s_{1/2}$ proton and neutron hole strengths near 2.6 MeV.

DEAP-3600 is a single-phase liquid argon detector aiming to directly detect Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs), located at SNOLAB (Sudbury, Canada). After analyzing data taken during the first year of operation, a null result was used to place an upper bound on the WIMP-nucleon spin-independent, isoscalar cross section. This study reinterprets this result within a Non-Relativistic Effective Field Theory framework, and further examines how various possible substructures in the local dark matter halo may affect these constraints. Such substructures are hinted at by kinematic structures in the local stellar distribution observed by the Gaia satellite and other recent astronomical surveys. These include the Gaia Sausage (or Enceladus), as well as a number of distinct streams identified in recent studies. Limits are presented for the coupling strength of the effective contact interaction operators $\mathcal{O}_1$, $\mathcal{O}_3$, $\mathcal{O}_5$, $\mathcal{O}_8$, and $\mathcal{O}_{11}$, considering isoscalar, isovector, and xenonphobic scenarios, as well as the specific operators corresponding to millicharge, magnetic dipole, electric dipole, and anapole interactions. The effects of halo substructures on each of these operators are explored as well, showing that the $\mathcal{O}_5$ and $\mathcal{O}_8$ operators are particularly sensitive to the velocity distribution, even at dark matter masses above 100 GeV/$c^2$.

From detailed spectroscopy of Cd-110 and Cd-112 following the beta(+)/EC decay of In-110,In-112 and the beta(-) decay of Ag-112, the presence of very weak decay branches from nonyrast states is revealed. In Cd-112, 2(5)(+) -> 0(4)(+) and 4(6)(+) -> 2(5)(+) transitions are observed that yield B(E2; 2(5)(+) -> 0(4)(+)) = 34 +/- 15 W.u. and B(E2; 4(6)(+) -> 2(5)(+)) = 77 +/- 30 W.u., respectively, clearly indicating a collective structure. In 110Cd, a weak decay branch from the 4(6)(+) level to the 2(5)(+) level is observed, and from a lifetime measurement following the (n, n gamma' reaction, B(E2; 4(6)(+) -> 2(5)(+)) = 55 +/- 14 W.u. is determined. A new branch is also observed for the decay of the 6(4)(+) level to the 4(6)(+) state, indicating that the sequence 2(5)(+), 4(6)(+), and 6(4)(+) forms part of a collective structure. The presence of 3(3)(+) and 5(2)(+) levels spaced between the previous sequence is highly suggestive of a gamma band built on the 0(2)(+) shape-coexisting intruder state. The 0(4)(+) levels in Cd-110,Cd-112,Cd-114 have preferred decays to the lowest 2(+) members of the intruder bands, and for 114Cd a previous measurement had established an enhanced B(E2; 0(4)(+) -> 2(3)(+)). The energy systematics of the 0(2)(+), 0(3)(+), and 0(4)(+) levels all display the characteristic parabolic-shaped pattern, suggesting that they are built on multiparticle-multihole proton excitations. The results are compared with beyond-mean-field calculations that reproduce qualitatively the observed levels and their decays and suggest that the 0(1)(+), 0(2)(+), 0(3)(+), and 0(4)(+) levels and the excited states built on them possess different deformations.

We report on high-statistics data from the $\beta^-$ decay of the $^{46}$K $J^{\pi}$ = 2$^-$ ground state taken with the GRIFFIN spectrometer located at the TRIUMF-ISAC facility. In total, 199 $\gamma$ rays and 42 excited states were placed in the level scheme, and from the observed $\beta$ feeding and angular correlations of pairs of cascading $\gamma$ rays, it was possible to assign spins and parities to excited states and determine mixing ratios for selected $\gamma$ rays. The level structure of $^{46}$Ca is compared to theoretical predictions from a microscopic valence-space Hamiltonian derived from two- (NN) and three-nucleon (3N) forces. These calculations are in reasonable agreement with the experimental data and indicate that the protons in this region are not as inert as would be expected for semi-magic nuclei.

This paper describes a method for more complete neutron detector characterization using Geant4’s Monte Carlo methods for characterizing overall detector response rate and Garfield interfaced with SRIM for the simulation of the detector’s raw pulses, as applied to a hybrid 10 B/ 3 He detector. The Geant4 models characterizing the detector’s interaction with a 252 Cf point source and parallel beams of mono-energetic neutrons (assuming ISO 8529 reference energy values) compare and agree well with calibrated 252 Cf measurements to within 6.4%. Validated Geant4 model outputs serve as input to Garfield+SRIM calculations to provide meaningful pulse height spectra. Modifications to Garfield for this work were necessary to account for simultaneous tracking of electrons resulting from proton and triton reaction products from a single 3 He neutron capture event, and it was further necessary to interface Garfield with the energy loss, range, and straggling calculations provided by SRIM. Individual raw pulses generated by Garfield+SRIM are also observed to agree well with experimentally measured raw pulses from the detector.

Low-lying excited states of 122 Xe have been studied via the β + /EC decay of 122 Cs with the 8π γ-ray spectrometer at the TRIUMF Isotope Separator and Accelerator facility. The data collected have enabled the observation of new in-band transitions in the excited 0 + state bands. In addition, the 2 + members of the second 0 + and third 0 + state bands have been firmly confirmed by angular correlation analysis.

From detailed spectroscopy of ^{110}Cd and ^{112}Cd following the β^{+}/electron-capture decay of ^{110,112}In and the β^{-} decay of ^{112}Ag, very weak decay branches from nonyrast states are observed. The transition rates determined from the measured branching ratios and level lifetimes obtained with the Doppler-shift attenuation method following inelastic neutron scattering reveal collective enhancements that are suggestive of a series of rotational bands. In ^{110}Cd, a γ band built on the shape-coexisting intruder configuration is suggested. For ^{112}Cd, the 2^{+} and 3^{+} intruder γ-band members are suggested, the 0_{3}^{+} band is extended to spin 4^{+}, and the 0_{4}^{+} band is identified. The results are interpreted using beyond-mean-field calculations employing the symmetry conserving configuration mixing method with the Gogny D1S energy density functional and with the suggestion that the Cd isotopes exhibit multiple shape coexistence.

Author(s): Ajaj, R; Araujo, GR; Batygov, M; Beltran, B; Bina, CE; Boulay, MG; Broerman, B; Bueno, JF; Burghardt, PM; Butcher, A; Cai, B; Cardenas-Montes, M; Cavuoti, S; Chen, M; Chen, Y; Cleveland, BT; Dering, K; Duncan, FA; Dunford, M; Erlandson, A; Fatemighomi, N; Fiorillo, G; Flower, A; Ford, RJ; Gagnon, R; Gallacher, D; Garcia Abia, P; Garg, S; Giampa, P; Goeldi, D; Golovko, VV; Gorel, P; Graham, K; Grant, DR; Hallin, AL; Hamstra, M; Harvey, PJ; Hearns, C; Joy, A; Jillings, CJ; Kamaev, O; Kaur, G; Kemp, A; Kochanek, I; Kuźniak, M; Langrock, S; La Zia, F; Lehnert, B; Li, X; Litvinov, O; Lock, J; Longo, G; Majewski, P; McDonald, AB; McElroy, T; McGinn, T; McLaughlin, JB; Mehdiyev, R; Mielnichuk, C; Monroe, J; Nadeau, P; Nantais, C; Ng, C; Noble, AJ; Ouellet, C; Pasuthip, P; Peeters, SJM; Pesudo, V; Piro, MC; Pollmann, TR; Rand, ET; Rethmeier, C; Retiere, F; Sanchez Garcia, E; Santorelli, R; Seeburn, N; Skensved, P; Smith, B; Smith, NJT; Sonley, T; Stainforth, R; Stone, C; Strickland, V; Sur, B; Vazquez-Jauregui, E | Abstract: The DEAP-3600 experiment is searching for weakly interacting massive particles dark matter with a 3.3 ×103 kg single phase liquid argon (LAr) target, located 2.1 km underground at SNOLAB. The experimental signature of dark matter interactions is kilo electron volt-scale Ar40 nuclear recoils producing 128 nm LAr scintillation photons observed by photomultiplier tubes. The largest backgrounds in DEAP-3600 are electronic recoils (ERs) induced by β and γ rays originating from internal and external radioactivity in the detector material. A background model of the ER interactions in DEAP-3600 was developed and is described in this work. The model is based on several components which are expected from radioisotopes in the LAr, from ex situ material assay measurements, and from dedicated independent in situ analyses. This prior information is used in a Bayesian fit of the ER components to a 247.2 d dataset to model the radioactivity in the surrounding detector materials. Pulse-shape discrimination separates ER and NR events. However, detailed knowledge of the ER background and activity of detector components sets valuable constraints on NR backgrounds including neutrons and alphas. In addition, the activity of Ar42 in LAr in DEAP-3600 is determined by measuring the daughter decay of K42. This cosmogenically activated trace isotope is a relevant background at higher energies for other rare event searches using atmospheric argon, e.g., DarkSide-20k, GERDA, or LEGEND. The specific activity of Ar42 in the atmosphere is found to be 40.4±5.9 μBq/kg of argon.

Detailed spectroscopic measurements of excited states in $^{50}\mathrm{Cr}$ and $^{62}\mathrm{Zn}$ were performed using 24-MeV $(p,t)$ transfer reactions on $^{52}\mathrm{Cr}$ and $^{64}\mathrm{Zn}$, respectively. In total, 45 states in $^{50}\mathrm{Cr}$ and 67 states in $^{62}\mathrm{Zn}$ were observed up to excitation energies of 5.5 MeV, including several previously unobserved states. These experimental results are compared to ab-initio shell-model calculations using chiral effective field theory with the valence-space in-medium similarity renormalization group method. This comparison demonstrates good agreement in the level orderings with these new theoretical methods, albeit with a slight overbinding in the calculations. This work is part of a continued push to benchmark ab-initio theoretical techniques to nuclear-structure data in ${0}^{+}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{0}^{+}$ superallowed Fermi $\ensuremath{\beta}$-decay systems.

From detailed spectroscopy of ^{110}Cd and ^{112}Cd following the β^{+}/electron-capture decay of ^{110,112}In and the β^{-} decay of ^{112}Ag, very weak decay branches from nonyrast states are observed. The transition rates determined from the measured branching ratios and level lifetimes obtained with the Doppler-shift attenuation method following inelastic neutron scattering reveal collective enhancements that are suggestive of a series of rotational bands. In ^{110}Cd, a γ band built on the shape-coexisting intruder configuration is suggested. For ^{112}Cd, the 2^{+} and 3^{+} intruder γ-band members are suggested, the 0_{3}^{+} band is extended to spin 4^{+}, and the 0_{4}^{+} band is identified. The results are interpreted using beyond-mean-field calculations employing the symmetry conserving configuration mixing method with the Gogny D1S energy density functional and with the suggestion that the Cd isotopes exhibit multiple shape coexistence.

The Dark matter Experiment using Argon Pulse-shape discrimination (DEAP) has been designed for a direct detection search for particle dark matter using a single-phase liquid argon target. The projected cross section sensitivity for DEAP-3600 to the spin-independent scattering of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) on nucleons is $10^{-46}~\rm{cm}^{2}$ for a 100 GeV/$c^2$ WIMP mass with a fiducial exposure of 3 tonne-years. This paper describes the physical properties and construction of the DEAP-3600 detector., minor corrections in version 2. 70 pages, 24 figures, to be submitted to Astroparticle Physics Journal

An error was discovered in the extraction of the singles intensities in the original article. The corrections are reported in this erratum.

The SPectrometer for Internal Conversion Electrons (SPICE) has been commissioned for use in conjunction with the TIGRESS $\gamma$-ray spectrometer at TRIUMF's ISAC-II facility. SPICE features a permanent rare-earth magnetic lens to collect and direct internal conversion electrons emitted from nuclear reactions to a thick, highly segmented, lithium-drifted silicon detector. This arrangement, combined with TIGRESS, enables in-beam $\gamma$-ray and internal conversion electron spectroscopy to be performed with stable and radioactive ion beams. Technical aspects of the device, capabilities, and initial performance are presented.

A Coulomb-excitation reorientation-effect measurement using the TIGRESS γ−ray spectrometer at the TRIUMF/ISAC II facility has permitted the determination of the 〈 2 1 + ‖ E 2 ˆ ‖ 2 1 + 〉 diagonal matrix element in 12C from particle−γ coincidence data and state-of-the-art no-core shell model calculations of the nuclear polarizability. The nuclear polarizability for the ground and first-excited (2 1 + ) states in 12C have been calculated using chiral NN N4LO500 and NN+3NF350 interactions, which show convergence and agreement with photo-absorption cross-section data. Predictions show a change in the nuclear polarizability with a substantial increase between the ground state and first excited 2 1 + state at 4.439 MeV. The polarizability of the 2 1 + state is introduced into the current and previous Coulomb-excitation reorientation-effect analyses of 12C. Spectroscopic quadrupole moments of Q S ( 2 1 + ) = + 0.053 ( 44 ) eb and Q S ( 2 1 + ) = + 0.08 ( 3 ) eb are determined, respectively, yielding a weighted average of Q S ( 2 1 + ) = + 0.071 ( 25 ) eb, in agreement with recent ab initio calculations. The present measurement confirms that the 2 1 + state of 12C is oblate and emphasizes the important role played by the nuclear polarizability in Coulomb-excitation studies of light nuclei.

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.

Many efforts have been made in nuclear structure physics to interpret the nature of low-lying excited 0+ states in well-deformed rare-earth nuclei. However, one of the difficulties in resolving the nature of these states is that there is a paucity of data. In this work, excited 0+ states in the N = 92 nucleus 160Er were studied via the 162Er(p, t)160Er two-neutron transfer reaction, which is ideal for probing 0+ → 0+ transitions, at the Maier-Leibnitz-Laboratorium in Garching, Germany. Reaction products were momentum-analyzed with a Quadrupole-3-Dipole magnetic spectrograph. The 0+2 state was observed to be strongly populated with 18% of the ground state strength.

A new $\beta^{+}$ /EC branch of $0.11\pm 0.02$ % from the $(7)^{+}$ isomer of 124Cs was identified in a measurement of the decay of 124Cs using the $8\pi$ spectrometer at TRIUMF. Combinations of $\gamma$ - $\gamma$ , $\gamma$ - $e^{-}$ , and $e^{-}$ - $e^{-}$ coincidence data were used to further investigate the isomeric decay. Six new transitions were observed and their branching ratios were measured.

At TRIUMF, the TIGRESS Integrated Plunger device and its suite of ancillary detector systems have been implemented for charged-particle tagging and light-ion identification in coincidence with $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray spectroscopy for Doppler-shift lifetime studies and low-energy Coulomb excitation measurements. As a test of the device, the lifetime of the first ${2}^{+}$ excited state in $^{36}\mathrm{Ar}$ was measured from the $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray line shape of the ${2}_{1}^{+}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{0}_{\mathrm{g}.\mathrm{s}.}^{+}$ transition using the Doppler-shift attenuation technique following Coulomb excitation. The line-shape signatures, vital for precision lifetime measurements, were significantly improved by enhanced reaction-channel selectivity using a complementary approach of kinematic gating and digital rise-time discrimination of recoiling charged particles in a silicon PIN diode array. The lifetime was determined by comparisons between the data and simulated line shapes generated using our TIGRESS Coulomb excitation code as an input to the Lindhard method, which was then extended and included as a class in geant4. The model-independent lifetime result of $490\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}50$ fs corresponds to a reduced quadrupole transition strength of $B(E2;{2}_{1}^{+}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{0}_{\mathrm{g}.\mathrm{s}.}^{+})=56\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}6\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}{\mathrm{e}}^{2}{\mathrm{fm}}^{4}$ and agrees well with previous intermediate energy Coulomb excitation measurements, thereby resolving reported discrepancies in the ${2}_{1}^{+}$ level lifetime in this self-conjugate nucleus.

How does nature hold together protons and neutrons to form the wide variety of complex nuclei in the Universe? Describing many-nucleon systems from the fundamental theory of quantum chromodynamics has been the greatest challenge in answering this question. The chiral effective field theory description of the nuclear force now makes this possible but requires certain parameters that are not uniquely determined. Defining the nuclear force needs identification of observables sensitive to the different parametrizations. From a measurement of proton elastic scattering on ^{10}C at TRIUMF and ab initio nuclear reaction calculations, we show that the shape and magnitude of the measured differential cross section is strongly sensitive to the nuclear force prescription.

The Hamamatsu R5912-HQE photomultiplier-tube (PMT) is a novel high-quantum efficiency PMT. It is currently used in the DEAP-3600 dark matter detector and is of significant interest for future dark matter and neutrino experiments where high signal yields are needed. We report on the methods developed for in-situ characterization and monitoring of DEAP's 255 R5912-HQE PMTs. This includes a detailed discussion of typical measured single-photoelectron charge distributions, correlated noise (afterpulsing), dark noise, double, and late pulsing characteristics. The characterization is performed during the detector commissioning phase using laser light injected through a light diffusing sphere and during normal detector operation using LED light injected through optical fibres.

The Gamma-Ray Infrastructure For Fundamental Investigations of Nuclei, GRIFFIN, is a new experimental facility for radioactive decay studies at the TRIUMF-ISAC laboratory. The performance of the 16 high-purity germanium (HPGe) clover detectors that will make up the GRIFFIN spectrometer is reported. The energy resolution, efficiency, timing resolution, crosstalk and preamplifier properties of each crystal were measured using a combination of analog and digital data acquisition techniques. The absolute efficiency and add-back factors are determined for the energy range of 80–3450 keV. The detectors show excellent performance with an average over all 64 crystals of a FWHM energy resolution of 1.89(6) keV and relative efficiency with respect to a 3 in . × 3 in . NaI detector of 41(1)% at 1.3 MeV.

The SPICE spectrometer is a new in-beam electron spectrometer designed to operate in conjunction with the TIGRESS HPGe Clover array at TRIUMF-ISAC. The spectrometer consists of a large area, annular, segmented lithium-drifted silicon electron detector shielded from the target by a photon shield. A permanent magnetic lens directs electrons around the photon shield to the detector. Experiments will be performed utilising Coulomb excitation, inelastic-scattering, transfer and fusion–evaporation reactions using stable and radioactive ion beams with suitable heavy-ion detection. Good detection efficiency can be achieved in a large energy range up to 3500 keV electron energy using several magnetic lens designs which are quickly interchangeable. COMSOL and Geant4 simulations have been used to maximise the detection efficiency. In addition, the simulations have guided the design of components to minimise the contributions from various sources of backgrounds.

The TIGRESS Integrated Plunger device is a new experimental tool for nuclear structure investigations via gamma-ray spectroscopy with post-accelerated beams from the ISAC-II facility at TRIUMF. Several ancillary detection systems integral to the device׳s capabilities for charged-particle tagging and light-ion identification following a variety of nuclear reaction mechanisms have been constructed and characterized. In particular, a silicon PIN diode wall, an annular silicon segmented detector, and a CsI(Tl) scintillator wall have together enabled particle-gamma correlations for reaction channel selectivity and precision kinematic reconstruction in recent measurements. We highlight the construction, characteristics, and implementation of the device׳s ancillary detectors as they enable a rich set of electromagnetic transition rate measurements via Doppler-shift lifetime techniques and low-energy Coulomb excitation.

The observation of a permanent electric dipole moment (EDM) at current experimentally accessible levels would provide clear evidence of physics beyond the Standard Model. EDMs violate CP symmetry, making them a possible route to explaining the size of the observed baryon asymmetry in the universe. The Radon EDM Experiment aims to search for an EDM in radon isotopes whose sensitivity to CP-odd interactions is enhanced by octupole-deformed nuclei. A prototype apparatus currently installed in the ISAC hall at TRIUMF includes a gas handling system to move radon from a collection foil to a measurement cell and auxiliary equipment for polarization diagnostics and validation. The features and capabilities of the apparatus are described and an overview of the experimental design for a gamma-ray-anisotropy based EDM measurement is provided.

High precision measurements of the $ft$ values for superallowed Fermi $\beta$ transitions between $J^\pi~=~0^+$ isobaric analogue states allow for stringent tests of the electroweak interaction described by the Standard Model. These transitions provide an experimental probe of the Conserved-Vector-Current hypothesis, enable the most precise determination of the up-down ($V_{ud}$) element of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa quark-mixing matrix, and allow one to set stringent limits on the existence of scalar currents in the weak interaction. An extensive program of superallowed branching-ratio and half-life measurements at TRIUMF's Isotope Separator and Accelerator (ISAC) facility has covered the full range of superallowed emitters, from the lightest case, $^{10}$C, to the heaviest case for which precision data are currently available, $^{74}$Rb. These experiments have been performed using a 4$\pi$ continuous-flow gas proportional $\beta$ counter, the 8$\pi$ $\gamma$-ray spectrometer, and, most recently, the new high-efficiency GRIFFIN $\gamma$-ray spectrometer. In this paper, recent highlights from the superallowed Fermi $\beta$ decay program at TRIUMF will be summarized, including high-precision half-life measurements for all three of the lightest superallowed emitters, $^{10}$C, $^{14}$O, and $^{18}$Ne, with the greatest sensitivity to a potential weak scalar current contribution, as well as high-precision branching-ratio measurements for the heavy superallowed emitters $^{62}$Ga and $^{74}$Rb.

A $^{52}\mathrm{Cr}(p,t)^{50}\mathrm{Cr}$ two-neutron pickup reaction was performed using the Q3D magnetic spectrograph at the Maier-Leibnitz-Laboratorium in Garching, Germany. Excited states in $^{50}\mathrm{Cr}$ were observed up to an excitation energy of 5.3 MeV. Despite significantly increased sensitivity and resolution over previous work, no evidence of the previously assigned first excited ${0}^{+}$ state was found. As a result, the ${0}_{2}^{+}$ state is reassigned at an excitation energy of ${E}_{x}=3895.0(5)$ keV in $^{50}\mathrm{Cr}$. This reassignment directly impacts direct searches for a nonanalog Fermi ${\ensuremath{\beta}}^{+}$ decay branch in $^{50}\mathrm{Mn}$. These results also show better systematic agreement with the theoretical predictions for the ${0}^{+}$ state spectrum in $^{50}\mathrm{Cr}$ using the same formalism as the isospin-symmetry-breaking correction calculations for superallowed nuclei. The experimental data are also compared to ab-initio shell-model predictions using the IM-SRG formalism based on $NN$ and $3N$ forces from chiral-EFT in the $pf$-shell for the first time.

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.

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.

Excited states of 110Cd were studied with conversion electron spectroscopy following the $ \beta^{+}/EC$ decay of 110In. Internal conversion coefficients from K-shell electrons are extracted from $\gamma$ - $ e^{-}$ coincidences and compared with expected values for E1, M1, and E2 transitions, allowing the assignment of the transition multipolarities. The $ \alpha_{K}$ values for transitions connecting the $ 4^{+}$ and $ 6^{+}$ members of the deformed intruder band and the ground-state band show evidence for E0 components. The extracted $ \rho^{2}(E0)\cdot 10^{3}$ value for the $ 4^{+}_{3}\rightarrow 4^{+}_{1}$ 708 keV transition is determined to be $ 106^{+98}_{-91}$ .

Shape coexistence between the strongly deformed ground state and the weakly deformed ${0}_{2}^{+}$ state in $^{98}\mathrm{Sr}$ has been a major topic of interest due to the energy difference of 215 keV, which is the smallest in all even-even nuclei. The electric monopole transition strength ${\ensuremath{\rho}}^{2}(E0)$ is an important quantity that can relate the deformation difference and the shape mixing between the two ${0}^{+}$ states, which are admixtures of the vibrational (S) and the rotational (D) states in a simple mixing model. In a $\ensuremath{\beta}$-decay spectroscopy experiment, the experimental ${\ensuremath{\rho}}^{2}(E0)$ was measured. A value of 0.053(5) is consistent with the previous measurement and was combined with known electric quadrupole transition strengths $B(E2)$ in calculations of a two-state mixing model. Based on a systematic study on neighboring Kr, Zr, and Mo isotopes, the mixing of the ${0}^{+}$ and ${2}^{+}$ states in $^{98}\mathrm{Sr}$ was determined to be 8.6% and 1.3%, respectively, corresponding to deformation parameters ${\ensuremath{\beta}}_{\text{D}}=0.38(1)$ and ${\ensuremath{\beta}}_{\text{S}}=\ensuremath{-}0.23(2)$. These parameters reproduce experimental transition strengths well except for the ${4}_{1}^{+}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{2}_{1}^{+}$ transition, which suggests a smaller D-band deformation for $J\ensuremath{\ge}4$.

A program of nuclear structure studies to support fundamental symmetry tests has been initiated. Motivated by the search for an electric dipole moment in Hg-199, the structure in the vicinity has been explored via direct reaction studies. To date, these have included the Hg-198,Hg-200(d, d') inelastic scattering reactions, with the aim to obtain information on the E2 and E3 strength distributions, and the Hg-198(d, p) and Hg-200(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.

The nuclear structure of 122 Xe has been investigated with measurements of the β + /EC decay of 122 Cs with the 8 π γ -ray spectrometer at the TRIUMF-ISAC facility. The data collected have enabled the determination of relative B(E2) values of some low-energy transitions, and the in-band transitions of the excited 0+ bands have been observed. As a result, the 2+ rotational band members for the 0+ 2 and 0+ 3 states have been firmly identified.

CITATION: Rebeiro, B. M., et al. 2018. Nuclear structure studies relevant to ¹³⁶Xe ββ decay. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 1056(1):012049, doi:10.1088/1742-6596/1056/1/012049.

Direct reaction studies provide crucial information on nuclear structure for nuclei that are used in weak interaction and fundamental symmetry tests. Motivated by the superallowed Fermi beta-decay studies, we have investigated the structure of Cr-50 and Zn-62, the daughters of the superallowed beta(+)/EC emitters Mn-50 and Ga-62, with (p,t) reactions. For both nuclei, we reassigned the location of the first excited 0(+) state. The data for these reassignments are reviewed and limits on the possible L = 0 transfer to the previously assigned 0(2)(+) states are determined. For Cr-50, we find no evidence for the presence of a 0(+) state at 3695 keV. For Zn-62, the data allow for a possible contribution of L = 0 and L = 2, indicating a possible 0(+)/2(+) doublet of states at 2342 keV. However, this relies on an enhanced cross section at only one data point, and thus the existence of a 0(+) state at this energy is not clear. A preliminary result from a gamma-gamma angular correlation measurement following the beta(+)/EC decay of Ga-62 weakly favours the existence of a 0(+) state, but requires further study with increased statistics.

The nuclear structure of $^{124}\mathrm{Xe}$ has been investigated via measurements of the ${\ensuremath{\beta}}^{+}$/EC decay of $^{124}\mathrm{Cs}$ with the $8\ensuremath{\pi}\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray spectrometer at the TRIUMF-ISAC facility. The data collected have enabled branching ratio measurements of weak, low-energy transitions from highly excited states, and the ${2}^{+}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{0}^{+}$ in-band transitions have been observed. Combining these results with those from a previous Coulomb excitation study, $B(E2;{2}_{3}^{+}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{0}_{2}^{+})=78(13)$ W.u. and $B(E2;{2}_{4}^{+}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{0}_{3}^{+})=53(12)$ W.u. were determined. The ${0}_{3}^{+}$ state, in particular, is interpreted as the main fragment of the proton-pairing vibrational band identified in a previous $^{122}\mathrm{Te}$($^{3}\mathrm{He},n$)$^{124}\mathrm{Xe}$ measurement, and has quadrupole collectivity equal to, within uncertainty, that of the ground-state band.

At low stellar temperatures the energy release due to the CN cycle is regulated by its slowest reaction ${}^{14}\mathrm{N}(p,\ensuremath{\gamma}){}^{15}\mathrm{O}$, the rate of which strongly depends on the subthreshold resonance at ${E}_{\mathrm{c}}.\mathrm{m}.=\ensuremath{-}504\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}\mathrm{keV}$, which corresponds to the 6.79 MeV state in ${}^{15}\mathrm{O}$. By using the Doppler-shift attenuation method and the ${}^{3}\mathrm{He}({}^{16}\mathrm{O},\ensuremath{\alpha}){}^{15}\mathrm{O}$ reaction to populate the state, we obtained an upper limit on the lifetime of this state of $\ensuremath{\tau}l1.8\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}\mathrm{fs}$ [68.3% confidence level (C.L.)]. In addition we measured the lifetimes of the 6.18 and 6.86 MeV states to be $\ensuremath{\tau}l2.5$ and $\ensuremath{\tau}=13.{3}_{\ensuremath{-}1.2}^{+0.9}\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}\mathrm{fs}$, respectively (68.3% C.L.), in good agreement with the literature.

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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.

The reaction mechanisms of the two-neutron transfer reaction ${}^{12}$C(${}^{6}$He,${}^{4}$He) have been studied at ${E}_{\mathrm{lab}}=30$ MeV at the TRIUMF ISAC-II facility using the Silicon Highly-segmented Array for Reactions and Coulex (SHARC) charged-particle detector array. Optical potential parameters have been extracted from the analysis of the elastic scattering angular distribution. The new potential has been applied to the study of the transfer angular distribution to the 2${}_{2}^{+}$ 8.32 MeV state in ${}^{14}$C, using a realistic three-body ${}^{6}$He model and advanced shell-model calculations for the carbon structure, allowing to calculate the relative contributions of the simultaneous and sequential two-neutron transfer. The reaction model provides a good description of the 30-MeV data set and shows that the simultaneous process is the dominant transfer mechanism. Sensitivity tests of optical potential parameters show that the final results can be considerably affected by the choice of optical potentials. A reanalysis of data measured previously at ${E}_{\mathrm{lab}}=18$ MeV, however, is not as well described by the same reaction model, suggesting that one needs to include higher-order effects in the reaction mechanism.

Precision measurements of superallowed Fermi β-decay allow for stringent tests of the magnitude of isospin-symmetry-breaking effects in nuclei, the validity of the conserved vector current hypothesis, and the unitarity of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) quark-mixing matrix. A high-precision measurement of the branching ratio for the superallowed β+ decay of 74Rb has been performed at the Isotope Separator and ACcelerator (ISAC) facility at TRIUMF. The 8π spectrometer, an array of 20 HPGe detectors, was used to detect γ-rays emitted following the Gamow-Teller and non-analogue Fermi β-decays of 74Rb. PACES, an array of 5 Si(Li) detectors, was used to detect emitted conversion electrons, while half of SCEPTAR, a close-packed array of 10 plastic scintillators, was used to detect emitted β particles. In this experiment, 23 excited states were identified in 74Kr which were populated following the β-decay of 74Rb. A total of 58 γ-rays were identified following the 8.241(4)x108 detected β-particles. An observed non-superallowed branching ratio of 0.396(7)% was determined from the intensity of the identified γ-rays, while the unobserved non-superallowed intensity was calculated to be 0.05(5)%, leading to a superallowed branching ratio of 99.55(5)%. The superallowed branching ratio is now the most precise experimental quantity in the determination of the superallowed ft-value of 74Rb. Combining the half-life and Q-value with the superallowed branching ratio measured in this work leads to a superallowed ft-value of 3082.6(66) s. Finally, comparisons between the superallowed ft-value, the world average Ft-value, and the non-analogue Fermi branching ratio are made to provide future guidance in the refinement of the theoretical models required to describe the crucial isospin-symmetry-breaking term in superallowed β-decay.

The half-life of the superallowed Fermi ${\ensuremath{\beta}}^{+}$ emitter $^{18}\mathrm{Ne}$ has been determined via two high-precision $\ensuremath{\beta}$ counting experiments at TRIUMF's Isotope Separator and Accelerator facility. Using two different $4\ensuremath{\pi}$ continuous-flow gas-proportional counters, two independent measurements were made, yielding a weighted average of ${T}_{1/2}=1.{66400}_{\ensuremath{-}0.00048}^{+0.00057}$ s, which is consistent with but approximately 2 times more precise than a previous high-precision measurement based on $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray counting. The present work achieves $\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.034%$ precision for the $^{18}\mathrm{Ne}$ half-life and will enable the inclusion of $^{18}\mathrm{Ne}$ among the set of precisely measured superallowed Fermi $\ensuremath{\beta}$-decay $ft$ values once improved measurements are made for its $Q$ value and superallowed branching ratio. As a test of systematic uncertainties, the half-life of $^{23}\mathrm{Ne}$ was measured and the world average has been improved, by a factor of 1.7, to $37.148\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.032$ s.