Spectroscopy of Superheavy Nuclei: The SAGE spectrometer
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Liverpool
Department Name: Physics
Abstract
The majority of the mass of the universe is made up of atomic nuclei that lie at the centre of the atom. Nuclei contain positively charged protons and electrically neutral neutrons. The lightest known nucleus is that of hydrogen that contains just one proton but no one yet knows how heavy a nucleus can be; in other words, just how many neutrons and protons can be made to bind together. The aim of this proposal is to address this question by studying the heaviest nuclei that can be made in the laboratory. These nuclei are extremely difficult to create and study. The heaviest man-made elements today (unnamed as yet) have as many as 116 protons, but have been produced in tiny quantities of a few atoms only. Both protons and neutrons are held together by the strong nuclear force but protons are repelled from each other because of their electric charge. The nuclear force has an extremely short range, affecting nearest neighbours only, so that, as more and more protons are added to a nucleus the electrostatic repulsion will eventually become stronger than the nuclear binding forces and the nucleus will become unstable. The neutrons and protons will no longer stick together. This should happen for nuclei beyond uranium, which has 92 protons but the existence of heavier species comes about because of the internal structure within the nuclei. Just as noble gases owe their inert chemical behaviour to a specific arrangement of electrons that has extra stability, so certain 'magic' proton and neutron numbers also enhance nuclear stability. This project is concerned with a detailed study of the underlying mechanisms that yield this extra stability and allow 'superheavy' nuclei to exist. The main focus of this work will be on nuclei around nobelium with 102 protons, approximately halfway between the well-studied nuclei around uranium and the frontier of superheavy elements. Here spectroscopic methods can be used to gain detailed insights into the shape of the nucleus and the b
Publications
Briselet R
(2020)
In-beam ? -ray and electron spectroscopy of Md 249 , 251
in Physical Review C
Smallcombe J
(2019)
Confirming band assignments in 167ytterbium with gamma-gamma-electron triple-coincidence spectroscopy
in The European Physical Journal A
Papadakis P
(2018)
The SPEDE spectrometer
in The European Physical Journal A
Venhart M
(2017)
New systematic features in the neutron-deficient Au isotopes
in Journal of Physics G: Nuclear and Particle Physics
Mistry A
(2017)
In-beam study of 253No using the SAGE spectrometer
in The European Physical Journal A
Venhart M
(2017)
Application of the Broad Energy Germanium detector: A technique for elucidating ß -decay schemes which involve daughter nuclei with very low energy excited states
in Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment
Joss D
(2016)
Evolving collective structures in the transitional nuclei W 162 and W 164
in Physical Review C
Herzberg R
(2016)
In-beam spectroscopy of the heaviest elements
in EPJ Web of Conferences
Parr E
(2016)
Identification of the J p = 1 - state in Ra 218 populated via a decay of Th 222
in Physical Review C
Sorri J
(2016)
Determination of absolute internal conversion coefficients using the SAGE spectrometer
in Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment
Butler P
(2016)
TSR: A storage and cooling ring for HIE-ISOLDE
in Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms
Davis-Merry T
(2015)
Collective excitations in the transitional nuclei Re 163 and Re 165
in Physical Review C
Li H
(2015)
First identification of rotational band structures in Re 91 75 166
in Physical Review C
Düllmann C
(2015)
Foreword
in Nuclear Physics A
Cox D
(2015)
Simulation of the SAGE spectrometer
in The European Physical Journal A
Li H
(2015)
Recoil-decay tagging spectroscopy of 74 162 W 88
in Physical Review C
Wady P
(2015)
High-spin states beyond the proton drip-line: Quasiparticle alignments in 113 Cs
in Physics Letters B
Carroll R
(2015)
Competing Decay Modes of a High-spin Isomer in the Proton-unbound Nucleus $^{158}$Ta
in Acta Physica Polonica B
Peura P
(2014)
Quasiparticle alignments and a -decay fine structure of 175 Pt
in Physical Review C
Gaffney L
(2014)
Shape coexistence in neutron-deficient Hg isotopes studied via lifetime measurements in Hg 184 , 186 and two-state mixing calculations
in Physical Review C
Kalaninová Z
(2014)
Decay of 201 - 203 Ra and 200 - 202 Fr
in Physical Review C
Ghys L
(2014)
Evolution of fission-fragment mass distributions in the neutron-deficient lead region
in Physical Review C
Grodner E
(2014)
Hindered Gamow-Teller decay to the odd-odd N=Z (62)Ga: absence of proton-neutron T=0 condensate in A=62.
in Physical review letters
Peura P
(2014)
Erratum: Quasiparticle alignments and a -decay fine structure of 175 Pt [Phys. Rev. C 89 , 024316 (2014)]
in Physical Review C
Bree N
(2014)
Shape coexistence in the neutron-deficient even-even (182-188)Hg isotopes studied via coulomb excitation.
in Physical review letters
Smallcombe J
(2014)
Experimental investigation of the 0 2 + band in Sm 154 as a ß-vibrational band
in Physics Letters B
Carroll RJ
(2014)
Blurring the boundaries: decays of multiparticle isomers at the proton drip line.
in Physical review letters
Whitcher R
(2014)
Evidence for age-related performance degradation of (241)Am foil sources commonly used in UK schools.
in Journal of radiological protection : official journal of the Society for Radiological Protection
Herzberg R
(2014)
The Chemistry of Superheavy Elements
Pakarinen J
(2014)
The SAGE spectrometer
in The European Physical Journal A
Seliverstov M
(2014)
Electromagnetic moments of odd- A Po 193 - 203 , 211 isotopes
in Physical Review C
Drummond M
(2014)
a decay of the p h 11 / 2 isomer in Ir 164
in Physical Review C
Andreyev A
(2014)
a decay of Au 176
in Physical Review C
Grahn T
(2013)
Transition probability studies in 175 Au
in Journal of Physics: Conference Series
Taylor M
(2013)
A new differentially pumped plunger device to measure excited-state lifetimes in proton emitting nuclei
in Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment
Liberati V
(2013)
ß -delayed fission and a decay of 178 Tl
in Physical Review C
Procter M
(2013)
Proton emission from an oblate nucleus 151Lu
in Physics Letters B
Konki J
(2013)
Combined in-beam gamma-ray and conversion electron spectroscopy with radioactive ion beams Simulations of a silicon detector for the SPEDE spectrometer
in EPJ Web of Conferences
Andreyev AN
(2013)
Signatures of the Z = 82 shell closure in a-decay process.
in Physical review letters
Seliverstov M
(2013)
Charge radii of odd-A 191-211Po isotopes
in Physics Letters B
Andreyev A
(2013)
a -decay spectroscopy of the chain 179 Tl g ? 175 Au g ? 171 Ir g ? 167 Re m
in Physical Review C
Drummond M
(2013)
Low-lying excited states in the neutron-deficient isotopes 163 Os and 165 Os
in Physical Review C
Kalaninová Z
(2013)
a decay of the very neutron-deficient isotopes 197 - 199 Fr
in Physical Review C
Elseviers J
(2013)
ß -delayed fission of 180 Tl
in Physical Review C
Sorri J
(2012)
Lessons learned with the SAGE spectrometer
in Physica Scripta
Sulignano B
(2012)
Investigation of high- K states in 252 No
in Physical Review C
Parr E
(2012)
New approaches to assign configurations using low-statistic ?-ray spectra
in The European Physical Journal A
Greenlees PT
(2012)
Shell-structure and pairing interaction in superheavy nuclei: rotational properties of the z=104 nucleus (256)rf.
in Physical review letters
Piot J
(2012)
In-beam spectroscopy with intense ion beams: Evidence for a rotational structure in 246 Fm
in Physical Review C
Description | GREAT collaboration |
Organisation | University of Jyvaskyla |
Department | Department of Physics |
Country | Finland |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Constructed GREAT spectrometer and TDR DAQ system. Spokesperson of many experiments. |
Collaborator Contribution | facility |
Impact | 24 outputs |
Description | TASCA Collaboration |
Organisation | Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung |
Department | Nuclear Physics (Superheavy Elements) |
Country | Germany |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Parts of the detection system, Manpower, Data Analysis, Monte Carlo Simulation, Intellectual Input |
Collaborator Contribution | Technical Support for Experiment |
Impact | Confirmation of Element 114 and New isotope 277Hs (Duellmann et al, PRL 104 2010 252701) Spectroscopy of 253No (Anderson et al, NIMA622 2010 164) |
Start Year | 2006 |
Description | TASCA Collaboration |
Organisation | Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres |
Department | Helmholtz Institute Mainz |
Country | Germany |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Parts of the detection system, Manpower, Data Analysis, Monte Carlo Simulation, Intellectual Input |
Collaborator Contribution | Technical Support for Experiment |
Impact | Confirmation of Element 114 and New isotope 277Hs (Duellmann et al, PRL 104 2010 252701) Spectroscopy of 253No (Anderson et al, NIMA622 2010 164) |
Start Year | 2006 |
Description | TASCA Collaboration |
Organisation | Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz |
Country | Germany |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Parts of the detection system, Manpower, Data Analysis, Monte Carlo Simulation, Intellectual Input |
Collaborator Contribution | Technical Support for Experiment |
Impact | Confirmation of Element 114 and New isotope 277Hs (Duellmann et al, PRL 104 2010 252701) Spectroscopy of 253No (Anderson et al, NIMA622 2010 164) |
Start Year | 2006 |