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International audience; This work describes a silicon tracker system developed for experiments with proton-rich radioactive ion beams at the SAMURAI superconducting spectrometer of RIBF at RIKEN. The system is designed for accurate angular reconstruction and atomic number identification of relativistic heavy ions and protons which are simultaneously produced in reactions motivated by studies of proton capture reactions of interest for nuclear astrophysics. The technical characteristics of the tracking array are described in detail as are its performance in two pilot experiments. The physics justification for such a system is also presented.

^{18}Mg was observed, for the first time, by the invariant-mass reconstruction of ^{14}O+4p events. The ground-state decay energy and width are E_{T}=4.865(34) MeV and Γ=115(100) keV, respectively. The observed momentum correlations between the five particles are consistent with two sequential steps of prompt 2p decay passing through the ground state of ^{16}Ne. The invariant-mass spectrum also provides evidence for an excited state at an excitation energy of 1.84(14) MeV, which is likely the first excited 2^{+} state. As this energy exceeds that for the 2^{+} state in ^{20}Mg, this observation provides an argument for the demise of the N=8 shell closure in nuclei far from stability. However, in open systems this classical argument for shell strength is compromised by Thomas-Ehrman shifts.

The use of a mixed-mode system for performing neutron/gamma (n/γ) pulse-shape discrimination (PSD) is investigated. Historically, PSD capable systems have been composed fully of analog electronics or use fast digitizers that allow for later analysis using digital signal processing (DSP). Analog systems are inexpensive and suitable for large detectors where hundreds, or even thousands, of detector channels are needed. However analog systems are algorithm locked. DSP-based systems allow for more complex algorithms to be used for pulse processing. If fast digitzers are required, DSP systems can be prohibitively expensive for large channel-count detectors. A topology is proposed for a PSD capable mixed-mode system that combines analog and DSP techniques. The topology is modeled in Verilog-A and analyzed using waveform data from several scintillators to show that mixed-mode systems are PSD capable and offer advantages over pure analog or DSP systems.

A discrepancy in the asymmetry dependence of spectroscopic factors extracted with different reaction probes calls into question whether the corresponding reaction models are properly understood. In this work, we present extracted spectroscopic factors from the Ar 46 , 34 ( p , d ) Ar 45 , 33 transfer reactions in inverse kinematics at a beam energy of 70 MeV/nucleon. The results are consistent with previous measurements of these reactions at a lower beam energy [Lee et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 112701 (2010)], indicating that the transfer reaction is a reliable probe for the nuclear structure of exotic nuclei across a wide energy range. Results from a large body of transfer reaction measurements, ( p , p N ) measurements, and theoretical nuclear structure studies make a compelling case for much weaker asymmetry dependence than what is observed with single-nucleon knockout reactions on beryllium or carbon targets.

A ^{13}F resonance was observed following a charge-exchange reaction between a fast ^{13}O beam and a ^{9}Be target. The resonance was found in the invariant-mass distribution of 3p+^{10}C events and probably corresponds to a 5/2^{+} excited state. The ground state was also expected to be populated, but was not resolved from the background. The observed level decays via initial proton emissions to both the ground and first 2^{+} state of ^{12}O, which subsequently undergo 2p decay. In addition, there may also be a significant proton decay branch to the second 2^{+} level in ^{12}O. The wave function associated with the observed level may be collectivized due to coupling to the continuum as is it located just above the threshold for proton decay to the 2_{2}^{+} state of ^{12}O.

A ^{13}F resonance was observed following a charge-exchange reaction between a fast ^{13}O beam and a ^{9}Be target. The resonance was found in the invariant-mass distribution of 3p+^{10}C events and probably corresponds to a 5/2^{+} excited state. The ground state was also expected to be populated, but was not resolved from the background. The observed level decays via initial proton emissions to both the ground and first 2^{+} state of ^{12}O, which subsequently undergo 2p decay. In addition, there may also be a significant proton decay branch to the second 2^{+} level in ^{12}O. The wave function associated with the observed level may be collectivized due to coupling to the continuum as is it located just above the threshold for proton decay to the 2_{2}^{+} state of ^{12}O.

The invariant-mass distribution of $^{11}\mathrm{O}$ fragments formed in two-neutron-knockout reactions with a $^{13}\mathrm{O}$ projectile and $^{9}\mathrm{Be}$ target has been further examined. Gating on events where the $^{9}\mathrm{C}$ decay fragments produced following $2p$ emission are recoiled transversely in the projectile's frame improves the overall invariant-mass resolution. The observed peak is now shown to have contributions from at least two $^{11}\mathrm{O}$ levels, in contradiction with the suggestion of Fortune [Phys. Rev. C 99, 051302(R) (2019)]. The data, however, do not differentiate between the ground-state properties obtained by the Gamow coupled-channels calculation and the prompt $2p$-decay model of Fortune. The ground-state $2p$-decay energy is 4.25(6) MeV in a two-level fit to the data, but lower values are possible if more states contribute to the observed spectrum, as suggested in the previous analysis.

The neutron total cross sections $\sigma_{tot}$ of $^{16,18}$O, $^{58,64}$Ni, $^{103}$Rh, and $^{112,124}$Sn have been measured at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) from low to intermediate energies (3 $\leq E_{lab} \leq$ 450 MeV) by leveraging waveform-digitizer technology. The $\sigma_{tot}$ relative differences between isotopes are presented, revealing additional information about the isovector components needed for an accurate optical-model description away from stability. Digitizer-enabled $\sigma_{tot}$-measurement techniques are discussed and a series of uncertainty-quantified dispersive optical model (DOM) analyses using these new data is presented, validating the use of the DOM for modeling light systems ($^{16,18}$O) and systems with open neutron shells ($^{58,64}$Ni and $^{112,124}$Sn). The valence-nucleon spectroscopic factors extracted for each isotope reaffirm the usefulness of high-energy proton reaction cross sections for characterizing depletion from the mean-field expectation., Comment: 28 pages, 20 figures

Excited states in $^{14}$O have been investigated both experimentally and theoretically. Experimentally, these states were produced via neutron-knockout reactions with a fast $^{15}$O beam and the invariant-mass technique was employed to isolate the 1$p$ and 2$p$ decay channels and determine their branching ratios. The spectrum of excited states was also calculated with the Shell Model Embedded in the Continuum that treats bound and scattering states in a unified model. By comparing energies, widths and decay branching patterns, spin and parity assignments for all experimentally observed levels below 8 MeV are made. This includes the location of the second 2$^{+}$ state that we find is in near degeneracy with the third 0$^{+}$ state. An interesting case of sequential 2$p$ decay through a pair of degenerate $^{13}$N excited states with opposite parities was found where the interference between the two sequential decay pathways produces an unusual relative-angle distribution between the emitted protons., 19 pages, 20 figures

Neutron-transfer reactions with fast secondary beams of $^{17}\mathrm{Ne}, ^{15}\mathrm{O}$, and $^{9}\mathrm{C}$ have been studied with the HiRA and CAESAR arrays. Excited states of $^{18}\mathrm{Ne}, ^{16}\mathrm{O}$, and $^{10}\mathrm{C}$ in the continuum have been identified using invariant-mass spectroscopy. The best experimental resolution of these states is achieved by selecting events where the decay fragments are emitted transverse to the beam direction. We have confirmed a number of spin assignments made in previous works for the negative-parity states of $^{18}\mathrm{Ne}$. In addition we have found new higher-lying excited states in $^{16}\mathrm{O}$ and $^{18}\mathrm{Ne}$, some of which fission into two ground-state $^{8}\mathrm{Be}$ fragments. Finally for $^{10}\mathrm{C}$, a new excited state was observed. These transfer reactions were found to leave the remnant of the $^{9}\mathrm{Be}$ target nuclei at very high excitation energies and may be associated with the pickup of a deeply bound $^{9}\mathrm{Be}$ neutron.

The structure of the extremely proton-rich nucleus _{8}^{11}O_{3}, the mirror of the two-neutron halo nucleus _{3}^{11}Li_{8}, has been studied experimentally for the first time. Following two-neutron knockout reactions with a ^{13}O beam, the ^{11}O decay products were detected after two-proton emission and used to construct an invariant-mass spectrum. A broad peak of width ∼3.4 MeV was observed. Within the Gamow coupled-channel approach, it was concluded that this peak is a multiplet with contributions from the four lowest ^{11}O resonant states: J^{π}=3/2_{1}^{-}, 3/2_{2}^{-}, 5/2_{1}^{+}, and 5/2_{2}^{+}. The widths and configurations of these states show strong, nonmonotonic dependencies on the depth of the p-^{9}C potential. This unusual behavior is due to the presence of a broad threshold resonant state in ^{10}N, which is an analog of the virtual state in ^{10}Li in the presence of the Coulomb potential. After optimizing the model to the data, only a moderate isospin asymmetry between ground states of ^{11}O and ^{11}Li was found.

Excited states in $^{137}\mathrm{Cs}$ have been studied by using the near-barrier, single-proton transfer reaction $^{10}\mathrm{B}(^{136}\mathrm{Xe},\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}^{9}\mathrm{Be}\ensuremath{\gamma})^{137}\mathrm{Cs}$ in inverse kinematics and performing particle-$\ensuremath{\gamma}$ and particle-$\ensuremath{\gamma}\ensuremath{\gamma}$ coincidence measurements. The low-spin level scheme of $^{137}\mathrm{Cs}$ has been augmented: (i) The expected set of single-proton, seniority $\ensuremath{\upsilon}=1$ states has been delineated in its entirety; (ii) Another member of the $\ensuremath{\upsilon}=3$ proton $0{g}_{7/2}$ multiplet, a low-lying $9/{2}^{+}$ level, has been identified and this set of states now approaches completion; (iii) A second $9/{2}^{+}$ and a candidate $13/{2}^{+}$ level have been observed. The results are discussed in the framework of shell-model calculations in the proton $2s1d0g0h$ shell.

The sequential two-proton decay of the second excited state in $^{17}\mathrm{Ne}$, produced by inelastic excitation at intermediate energy, is studied. This state is found to be highly spin aligned, providing another example of a recently discovered alignment mechanism. The fortuitous condition that the second decay step is slightly more energetic than the first, permits the lifetime of the one-proton daughter, the ground state of $^{16}\mathrm{F}$, to be determined from the magnitude of the final-state interactions between the protons. This new method gave a result [$\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}=20.6(57)$ keV] consistent with that obtained by directly measuring the width of the state [$\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}=21.3(51)$ keV]. This width allows one to determine the continuum coupling constant in this mass region. Real-energy continuum-shell-model studies yield a satisfactory description of both spectra and widths of low-energy resonances in $^{16}\mathrm{F}$ and suggest an unusual large ratio of proton-proton to proton-neutron continuum couplings in the vicinity of the proton drip line.

A high-efficiency, forward-hemisphere detector system for light charged particles and low- Z heavy ions, as obtained in an accelerator experiment, is described. It consists of four 8×8 pixel multianode photomultiplier tubes with 2.2-mm thick CsI(Tl) and 12 - μ m thick fast-plastic scintillation detectors. Its phoswich structure allows individual Z resolution for 1 H, 4 He, 7 Li, 4 He+ 4 He, 9 Be, 11 B, 12 C, and 14 N ions, which are target-like fragments detected in strongly inverse kinematics. The device design has been optimized for use with a 4 π γ-ray array, and the main applications are transfer reactions and Coulomb excitation. A high-angular resolution for the detection of the target-like fragments is achieved which permits angular distributions to be measured in the rest frame of the projectile-like fragment with a resolution of ~ 2 ° .

Author(s): Jones, MD; MacChiavelli, AO; Wiedeking, M; Bernstein, LA; Crawford, HL; Campbell, CM; Clark, RM; Cromaz, M; Fallon, P; Lee, IY; Salathe, M; Wiens, A; Ayangeakaa, AD; Bleuel, DL; Bottoni, S; Carpenter, MP; Davids, HM; Elson, J; Gorgen, A; Guttormsen, M; Janssens, RVF; Kinnison, JE; Kirsch, L; Larsen, AC; Lauritsen, T; Reviol, W; Sarantites, DG; Siem, S; Voinov, AV; Zhu, S | Abstract: A model-independent technique was used to determine the γ-ray strength function (γSF) of Fe56 down to γ-ray energies less than 1 MeV for the first time with GRETINA using the (p,p′) reaction at 16 MeV. No difference was observed in the energy dependence of the γSF built on 2+ and 4+ final states, supporting the Brink hypothesis. In addition, angular distribution and polarization measurements were performed. The angular distributions are consistent with dipole radiation. The polarization results show a small bias towards magnetic character in the region of the enhancement.

The SuperORRUBA (Oak Ridge Rutgers University Barrel Array) of double-sided silicon strip detectors has been constructed at the Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility (HRIBF) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The array will primarily be used to study single-nucleon transfer reactions in inverse kinematics at exotic beam facilities. The detector exhibits good intrinsic energy resolution ( ∼ 25 keV ) and large solid-angle coverage over the polar angular range 55–125°. The detector is now in routine use and has been used for several measurements at the HRIBF.

Excited states in 137Xe have been studied by using the near-barrier single-neutron transfer reactions 13C(136Xe,12C )137Xe and 9Be(136Xe,8Be )137Xe in inverse kinematics.Particle- and particle- coincidence measurements have been performed with the Phoswich Wall and Digital Gammasphere detector arrays. Evidence is found for a 13/2+2 level (E = 3137 keV) and for additional high-lying 3/2– and 5/2– states. The results are discussed in the framework of realistic shell-model calculations. These calculations are also extended to the 13/2+1 and 13/2+2 levels in the N = 83 isotonic chain. Furthermore, they indicate that there is a need for a value of the neutron 0i13/2 single-particle energy (ESPE = 2366 keV) lower than the one proposed in the literature. It is also demonstrated that the population patterns of the j = l ± 1/2 single-particle states in 137Xe are different for the two targets used in these measurements and the implications of this effect are addressed.

The Integrated Circuits (IC) Design Research Laboratory at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) has collaborated with the Nuclear Reactions Group at Washington University (WU) to develop a family of multi-channel integrated circuits. To date, the collaboration has successfully produced two micro-chips. The first was an analog shaped and peak sensing chip with on-board constant-fraction discriminators and sparsified readout. This chip is known as Heavy-Ion Nuclear Physics–16 Channel (HINP16C). The second chip, christened PSD8C, was designed to logically complement (in terms of detector types) the HINP16C chip. Pulse Shape Discrimination–8 Channel (PSD8C), featuring three settable charge integration windows per channel, performs pulse shape discrimination (PSD). This paper summarizes the design, capabilities, and features of the HINP16C and PSD8C ICs. It proceeds to discuss the modifications, made to the ICs and their associated systems, which have attempted to improve ease of use, increase performance, and extend capabilities. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of what may be the next chip (employing a multi-sampling scheme) to be added to our CMOS ASIC “tool box” for radiation detection instrumentation.

This paper presents the design and test results of an eight-channel prototype integrated circuit chip intended to greatly simplify the pulse-processing electronics needed for large arrays of scintillation detectors. Because the chip design employs (user-controlled) multi-region charge integration, particle identification is incorporated into the basic design. Each channel on the chip also contains a time-to-voltage converter which provides relative time information. The pulse-height integrals and the relative time are all stored on capacitors and are either reset, after a user controlled time, or sequentially read out if acquisition of the event is desired. Each of the three pulse-height sub-channels consists of a gated integrator with eight programmable charging rates and an externally programmable gate generator that defines the start (with four time ranges) and width (with four time ranges) of the gate relative to an external discriminator signal. The chip supports three triggering modes, two time ranges, two power modes, and produces four sparsified analog pulse trains (three for the integrators and another for the time) with synchronized addresses for off-chip digitization with a pipelined ADC. The eight-channel prototype chip occupies an area of 2.8 mm×5.7 mm, dissipates 60 mW (low-power mode), and was fabricated in the AMI 0.5-μm process (C5N).

The complete three-body correlation pictures are experimentally reconstructed for the two-proton decays of the Be-6 and (45)e ground states. We are able to see qualitative similarities and differences between these decays. They demonstrate very good agreement with the predictions of a theoretical three-body cluster model. Validity of the theoretical methods for treatment of the three-body Coulombic decays of this class is thus established by the broad range of lifetimes and nuclear masses spanned by these cases. Implementations for decay dynamics and nuclear structure of 2p emitters are discussed. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The High Resolution Array (HiRA) is a large solid-angle array of silicon strip-detectors that has been developed for use in a variety of nuclear structure, nuclear astrophysics and nuclear reaction experiments with short lived beta-unstable beams. It consists of 20 identical telescopes each composed of a thin ( 65 μ m ) single-sided silicon strip-detector, a thick (1.5 mm) double-sided silicon strip-detector, and four CsI(Tl) crystals read out by photodiodes. The array can be easily configured to meet the detection requirements of specific experiments. To process the signals from the 1920 strips in the array, an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) was developed. The design and performance characteristics of HiRA are described.

The sequential breakup of $E/A=65.5\text{-MeV}\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}^{7}\mathrm{Be}$ and $E/A=36.6\text{-MeV}\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}^{6}\mathrm{Li}$ projectiles excited through inelastic interactions with $^{9}\mathrm{Be}$ target nuclei has been studied. For events where the target nucleus remained in its ground state, significant alignment of the excited projectile's spin axis parallel or antiparallel to the beam direction was observed. This unusual spin alignment was found to be largely independent of the projectile's scattering angle and it was deduced that the target nucleus has a significant probability of changing its spin orientation during the interaction. It is proposed that the unusual spin alignment is a consequence of the molecular structure of the $^{9}\mathrm{Be}$ nucleus.

The interaction of an E/A = 57.6-MeV Ne-17 beam with a Be target is used to populate levels in Ne-16 following neutron knockout reactions. The decay of 16Ne states into the three-body O-14 + p + p continuum is observed in the High Resolution Array (HiRA). For the first time for a 2p emitter, correlations between the momenta of the three decay products are measured with sufficient resolution and statistics to allow for an unambiguous demonstration of their dependence on the long-range nature of the Coulomb interaction. Contrary to previous measurements, our measured limit Gamma < 80 keV for the intrinsic decay width of the ground state is not in contradiction to the small values (of the order of keV) predicted theoretically.

The interaction of an E/A=57.6-MeV ^{17}Ne beam with a Be target is used to populate levels in ^{16}Ne following neutron knockout reactions. The decay of ^{16}Ne states into the three-body ^{14}O+p+p continuum is observed in the High Resolution Array (HiRA). For the first time for a 2p emitter, correlations between the momenta of the three decay products are measured with sufficient resolution and statistics to allow for an unambiguous demonstration of their dependence on the long-range nature of the Coulomb interaction. Contrary to previous measurements, our measured limit Γ80 keV for the intrinsic decay width of the ground state is not in contradiction to the small values (of the order of keV) predicted theoretically.

A superdeformed band consisting of a cascade of ten gamma-ray transitions has been identified and assigned to the nucleus Tc-89, close to the proton dripline. The quadrupole moment of the band (Q(t) = 6.7(-2.3)(+3.0) eb, as measured by the Residual Doppler Shift Method) as well as a large dynamic moment of inertia point to a highly elongated shape. With a relative population of approximately 15% of the gamma-ray flux in the Tc-89 exit channel, thp band is among the most intense superdeformed bands observed to date.

We study the transverse or off-axis localization of electromagnetic waves for several different random dielectric systems which are periodic on average. Unlike previous scalar wave treatments of transverse localization, in the present work we present results based on a full vector treatment of the electromagnetic fields based on Maxwell's equations. In a first system, we consider a random semi-infinite array of slabs with plane waves or finite beams of electromagnetic waves obliquely incident on the slab surfaces. The localization of the fields in a region near the surface of illumination is studied as a function of the oblique angle of incidence. In a second system, an array of semi-infinite slabs with random thickness is considered with an incident finite beam of electromagnetic waves initially directed parallel to the slab surfaces. The spreading of the beam width is computed as it propagates through the array of semi-infinite slabs. In a final system, we consider a semi-infinite array of rand...

Using a ${}^{13}$O beam, we have observed proton decays of ${}^{12}$N and ${}^{13}$O excited states following proton-knockout and inelastic interactions on a ${}^{9}$Be target. The excited states were determined from detected two- and three-body exit channels using the invariant mass method. The width of the second excited state of ${}^{12}$N was determined to be 55(20) keV, considerably smaller than the value listed in the ENSDF data base. Three new excited states of narrow width ($\ensuremath{\Gamma}l50$ keV) were observed in ${}^{13}$O from the $p$+${}^{12}$N and 2$p$+${}^{11}$C exit channels. One of these states (${E}^{*}$ = 3.67 MeV) was found to sequentially decay to the second excited of ${}^{12}$N. We again found these data to be inconsistent with the listed decay width. The ramifications for the astrophysically interesting ${}^{11}$C($p$,$\ensuremath{\gamma}$)${}^{12}$N reaction are given.

A 4π multidetector light-charged particle and light fragment detection spectrometer is described. It consists of 95 CsI(T1) scintillators closely packed to cover the angular range 4.0°–172°, arranged in 9 rings with increasing forward segmentation. The device is optimally designed to be used in conjunction with Gammasphere. The scintillator light is collected by silicon photodiodes that provide high quantum efficiency and minimal mass. The signals are processed through a charge sensitive preamplifier followed by a slow shaper. Particle identification for 1,2,3 H, 3,4 He ions and Li, Be and B ions is accomplished by pulse shape discrimination. The geometry, construction, energy calibration, gain stability, associated integrated electronics and the data acquisition system are discussed. The capabilities of this spectrometer as a channel selecting device in conjunction with Gammasphere are discussed. A second version of the device with thicker scintillators, that can stop more energetic charged particles and is useful for reaction mechanism studies, is also described.

The study of nuclei far from stability elucidates the evolution of nuclear shell structure, and also affects estimates of heavy element nucleosynthesis in supernova explosions. Measurement of transfer reactions in inverse kinematics with radioactive ion beams is a powerful technique for these types of studies. Rare isotope beams often have relatively low intensities, and this places difficult requirements on the detection systems for reaction products. The detectors must provide large solid angle coverage in the laboratory along with good position and energy resolution. The Super ORRUBA detector array has been developed for such measurements and is comprised of 18 double-sided, nonresistive silicon strip detectors. This configuration features low thresholds and improved resolution over detectors employing charge division. As a first implementation of this system, the 80Ge(d,p)81Ge neutron transfer reaction in inverse kinematics was measured at HRIBF at ORNL, to determine the properties of levels in 81Ge.

The interaction of an E/A=70 - MeV 7Be beam with a Be target was used to populate levels in 6Be following neutron knockout reactions. The three-body decay of the ground and first excited states into the alpha+p+p exit channel were detected in the High Resolution Array. Precise three-body correlations extracted from the experimental data allowed us to obtain insight into the mechanism of the three-body democratic decay. The correlation data are in a good agreement with a three-cluster-model calculation and thus validate this theoretical approach over a broad energy range., 5 pages, 7 figures; Corrected typos

Following neutron knockout from an ${}^{13}$O beam, ${}^{12}$O fragments were created and the three decay products following two-proton decay were detected. A new ground-state mass was determined by the invariant mass method implying a decay kinetic energy of 1.638(24) MeV, and the width was found to be less than 72 keV. The latter is inconsistent with previous measurements with lower experimental resolutions but consistent with theoretical estimates. The isobaric analog of ${}^{12}$O in ${}^{12}$N was produced from proton knockout reactions with the same beam and decayed by two-proton emission to the isobaric analog state in ${}^{10}$B with a decay kinetic energy of 1.165(29) MeV. It represents only the second case of an analog state where two-proton decay is the only isospin- and energy-conserving particle decay mode. With our measurements of the mass excesses of ${}^{12}$O and its analog, the quadratic form of the isobaric multiplet mass equation was found to fit the $A=12$ quintet and any deviations are less than the magnitude found for the $A=8$ quintet and $A=7$ and 9 quartets.

Deviations from the isobaric multiplet mass equation are presented and discussed for the $A=7$, $T=3/2$ quartet and the $A=8$, $T=2$ quintet.

The interactions of an E/A=70-MeV {sup 9}C beam with a Be target was used to populate levels in Be, B, and C isotopes, which undergo decay into many-particle exit channels. The decay products were detected in the HiRA array and the level energies were identified from their invariant mass. Correlations between the decay products were examined to deduce the nature of the decays, specifically to what extent all the fragments were created in one prompt step or whether the disintegration proceeded in a sequential fashion through long-lived intermediate states. In the latter case, information on the spin of the level was also obtained. Of particular interest is the five-body decay of the {sup 8}C ground state, which was found to disintegrate in two steps of two-proton decay passing through the {sup 6}Be{sub g.s.} intermediate state. The isobaric analog of {sup 8}C{sub g.s.} in {sup 8}B was also found to undergo two-proton decay to the isobaric analog of {sup 6}Be{sub g.s.} in {sup 6}Li. A 9.69-MeV state in {sup 10}C was found to undergo prompt four-body decay to the 2p + 2{alpha} exit channel. The two protons were found to have a strong enhancement in the diproton region and the relativemore » energies of all four p-{alpha} pairs were consistent with the {sup 5}Li{sub g.s.} resonance.« less

We report on the first direct measurement of the proton separation energy for the proton-unbound nucleus {sup 69}Br. Bypassing the {sup 68}Se waiting point in the rp process is directly related to the 2p-capture rate through {sup 69}Br, which depends exponentially on the proton separation energy. We find a proton separation energy for {sup 69}Br of S{sub p}({sup 69}Br) = -785{sub -40}{sup +34} keV; this is less bound compared to previous predictions which have relied on uncertain theoretical calculations. The influence of the extracted proton separation energy on the rp process occurring in type I x-ray bursts is examined within the context of a one-zone burst model.

The Integrated Circuits Design Research Laboratory at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) has been collaborating over the past several years with the Nuclear Reactions Group at Washington University (WU) on the development of a family of custom, multi‐channel Integrated Circuits (ICs). To date, the collaboration has successfully produced two micro‐chips. The first was an analog shaped and peak sensing chip known as HINP16C (Heavy Ion Nuclear Physics—16 Channel). The second chip, christened PSD8C (Pulse Shape Discrimination—8 Channel), was designed to logically complement (in terms of detector types) the HINP16C chip. The HINP16C chip, for use with solid‐state detectors, produces sparsified analog pulse trains for both linear (pulse height) and timing (relative to an external reference) signals. A shaper and peak detector are implemented in the linear branch, and a pseudo Constant‐Fraction Discriminator (CFD) and Time‐to‐Voltage Converter (TVC) are implemented in the logic/timing branch. The internal and external gain options make the chip suitable for use in a wide variety of applications. PSD8C greatly simplifies the pulse‐processing electronics needed for large arrays of scintillation detectors. As the PSD8C employs user‐controlled, multi‐region charge integration, particle identification is inherent in the design. Each of the three pulse‐height sub‐channels consists of a gated integrator with eight programmable charging rates and an externally programmable gate generator that defines the start (with 4 time ranges) and the width (with 4 time ranges) of the gate, relative to an external discriminator signal. Moreover, each channel on the chip also contains a TVC. This paper describes the design, capabilities, and features of the HINP16C and PSD8C ICs along with a description of how the chips are being used. It also discusses modifications and enhancements which have been made to both chips and their associated prototypical systems in order to improve ease of use and increase performance.

$^{8}\mathrm{C}$ is found to decay to four protons and an $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ particle in two $2p$ emission steps. The correlations between the protons in the first step ($^{8}\mathrm{C}$ to $^{6}\mathrm{Be}$) exhibit a significant enhancement in the region of the decay phase space where the two protons have small relative energy, a region sometimes called the diproton region. The decay of the isobaric analog of $^{8}\mathrm{C}$ in $^{8}\mathrm{B}$ is also found to decay by $2p$ emission. This is the first case of isospin-allowed $2p$ decay between isobaric analog states.

The power spectral density (PSD), in its two-dimensional form, has been designated as the preferred quantity for specifying surface roughness on a draft international drawing standard for surface texture. The correct calculation of the one-dimensional PSD from discrete surface profile data is given, and problems in using fast Fourier-transform routines that are given in some of the standard reference books are flagged. The method given here contains the correct normalizing factors. Two ways to reduce the variance of the PSD estimate are suggested. Examples are shown of the variance reduction possible in the PSD's.

The intrinsic and the surface-induced optical absorption of typical metals are calculated for various wavelengths and roughness parameters as a function of incident angle. In the infrared region the surface-induced absorption is

Measurements of angular scattering due to surface roughness were taken from a 24-layer dielectric mirror and compared to theory. In addition, the top surface roughness of the multilayer stack is analyzed from Talystep profilometer measurements. These roughness data are used to obtain a roughness spectral density function to be used in a vector multilayer scattering theory. The theory uses three multilayer stack models to incorporate possible effects of different degrees of correlation between interfaces of the stack. It was found that the angular scattering calculated using the experimentally obtained roughness spectral density function agreed remarkably well with the measured angular scattering data. This is especially true if care is taken to differentiate between particulate and roughness scattering. For the sake of comparison, the angular scattering from an aluminum film is also given, and differences from scattering from the multilayer mirror are noted.

Formulas are derived, using first-order perturbation theory, which predict light scattering from substrates coated with multiple dielectric overlayers. The scattering is assumed to result from surface irregularity. Numerical analysis is given for three types of dielectric stack configurations designed to typify experimental situations. The three configurations are substrate profile replicated at each dielectric interface, profile present at outermost dielectric layer only, and random roughness present at each interface. The formulas and configurations are used to model low efficiency rectangular groove gratings as beam sampling optical components and multilayer-overcoated metallic mirror substrates. Consideration is given to thermal expansion and fabrication error of thicknesses of the dielectric layers.

Three-body correlations for the ground-state decay of the lightest two-proton emitter Be-6 are studied both theoretically and experimentally. Theoretical studies are performed in a three-body hyperspherical-harmonics cluster model. In the experimental studies, the ground state of Be-6 was formed following the alpha decay of a C-10 beam inelastically excited through interactions with Be and C targets. Excellent agreement between theory and experiment is obtained demonstrating the existence of complicated correlation patterns that can elucidate the structure of Be-6 and, possibly, of the A = 6 isobars.

Expérience à MSU-NSCL; International audience; The isospin dependence of two proton correlations is studied in 40Ca+40Ca and 48Ca+48Ca collisions at E/A = 80 MeV. Measurements were performed with the HiRA detector array complemented by the 4π Ball at NSCL. We observe a strong isospin dependence of the ppcorrelation functions; however the emitting source radius extracted using the imaging technique yields no sensitivity to the isospin of the reaction system. We interpret this result as a consequence of smaller fraction of fast proton emission in the neutron rich 48Ca system.

The local density of states and response to an incident plane wave of a finite sized photonic crystal (PC) with nonlinear material (NLM) is analyzed. Of particular interest is the excitation of surface wave modes at the truncated surface of the PC, which is collocated with the NLM material. We compute the 2D Green function of the PC with linear material and then include the Kerr NLM in a self-consistent manner. The 2D PC consists of a square array of circular rods where one row of the rods is semi-circular in order to move the surface wave defect mode frequency into the band gap. Since the surface modes are resonant at the interface, the NLM should experience at least an order of magnitude increase in field intensity. This is a possible means of increasing the efficiency of the PC as a frequency conversion device.