The β-decay studies of neutron-rich 18,21N isotopes have been performed using β-n, β-γ, and β-n-γ coincidence methods. The 18,21N ions were produced by the fragmentation of the 22Ne and 26Mg beams, respectively, on a thick beryllium target. The time of flight of the emitted neutrons following the β-decay of 18,21N was measured by a neutron detector system with wide energy detection range and low-energy detection threshold. In addition, several clover germanium detectors were used to detect the β-delayed γ-rays. The half-lives of the β-decays of 18N and 21N were determined to be (619±2) ms and (82.9±7.5) ms, respec tively. Several new β-delayed neutron groups were observed with a total branching ratio of (6.98±1.46)% and (90.5±4.2)% for 18N and 21N, respectively. The level schemes of 18O and 21O were deduced. The experimental Gamow-Teller β-decay strengths of 18N and 21N to these levels were compared with the shell model calculations.
HUA Hui, LI ZhiHuan, YE YanLin, JIANG DongXing, LOU JianLing, LI XiangQing & XU FuRong School of Physics and State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
The β-decays of neutron-rich carbon, nitrogen and fluorine isotopes have been systematically studied using the OXBASH shell Model. In the psd, spsd and spsdpf model space, we use the WBP interaction to calculate the half-lives and neutron emission probabilities of neutron- rich carbon and nitrogen isotopes, respectively. With the USD （W） and CW interactions, we calculate the half-lives and neutron emission probabilities of neutron-rich fluorine isotope in the sd model space, respectively. The calculated half-lives and neutron emission probabilities reproduce recent experimental data very well. It seems to show that the particles of the neutron-rich carbon and nitrogen isotopes are mainly excited in the spsd space. The β-decay of 21N to the neutron bound states in 210 is mostly the first forbidden transition which makes the neutron emission probability increase. The theoretical calculation of β-decay of 25F to 25Ne with CW interaction shows that CW interaction is better than USD interaction.
Neutron energy spectrometry diagnosis plays an important role in magnetic con- finement fusion. A new neutron time-of-flight （TOF） spectrometer with double scintillators is designed and optimized for the EAST toknmak. A set of optimM parameters is obtained by Monte Carlo simulation, based on the GEANT4 and ROOT codes. The electronic setup of the measurement system is designed. The count rate capability is increased by introducing a flash ADC. The designed spectrometer with high resolution and efficiency is capable of being applied to fusion neutron diagnostics. Applications in mixed-energy and continuous energy neutron fields can also be considered.
The experimental data of the isotopic distribution for projectile-like fragments are presented for the 17,18N ＋ 197Au reaction at 33 MeV/u. The width of the isotopic distributions for lSN projectile is significantly broader than that for 17N projectile, and the average N/Z ratio of the former shifts to higher neutron number side. As long as the realistic nucleon density distribution is used, the isotopic distribution for fragments is reproduced by the simple abrasion-ablation model calculation, which thus provides an independent way to determine the surface distribution of the nuclear matter density for neutron-rich nuclei.
High-spin states in 157Yb have been populated in the 144Sm（160, 3n）157yb fusion- evaporation reaction at a beam energy of 85 MeV, and two rotational bands have been established for the first time. Within the framework of the triaxial particle-rotor model, the energy spectra and single-particle configurations of 157Yb are investigated. The calculated energy spectra agree well with the experimental data. The newly observed vf7/2 band, and the previously known vi13/2 band in 157Yb, are also discussed by means of Total-Routhian-Surface methods. The structural characters observed in 157Yb provide evidence for the shape coexistence of three distinct shapes： prolate, triaxial and oblate. At higher spins, both the vf7/2 band and the vi13/2 band in 157Yb undergo a shape evolution with sizable alignments occurring.
An accurate energy calibration of a 5＂× 2＂ BC501A liquid scintillator-based neutron detector by means of photon sources and the unfolding of pulse height spectra are described. The photon responses were measured with 22Na, 137Cs and 54Mn photon sources and simulated using the GRESP code, which was developed at the Physiknlisch Technische Bundesanstalt in Germany. Pulse height spectra produced by three different photon sources were employed to investigate the effects of the unfolding techniques. It was found that the four unfolding codes of the HEPRO and UMG3.3 packages, including GRAVEL, UNFANA, MIEKE and MAXED, performed well with the test spectra and produced generally consistent results. They could therefore be used to obtain neutron energy spectra in toknmak experiments.
