Knowledge of the low-lying monopole strength in C12—the Hoyle state in particular—is crucial for our understanding of both the astrophysically important 3α reaction and of α-particle clustering. ...Multiple theoretical models have predicted a breathing mode of the Hoyle State at Ex≈9 MeV, corresponding to a radial in-phase oscillation of the underlying α clusters. The C12(α,α′)C12 and C14(p,t)C12 reactions were employed to populate states in 12C in order to search for this predicted breathing mode. A self-consistent, simultaneous analysis of the inclusive spectra with R-matrix lineshapes, together with angular distributions of charged-particle decay, yielded clear evidence for excess monopole strength at Ex≈9 MeV which is highly collective. Reproduction of the experimentally observed inclusive yields using a fit, with consistent population ratios for the various broad states, required an additional source of monopole strength. The interpretation of this additional monopole resonance as the breathing-mode excitation of the Hoyle state would provide evidence supporting a D3h symmetry for the Hoyle state itself. The excess monopole strength may complicate analysis of the properties of the Hoyle state, modifying the temperature dependence of the 3α rate at T9≳2 and ultimately, the predicted nucleosynthesis in explosive stars.
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A survey of the fine structure of the Isovector Giant Dipole Resonance (IVGDR) was performed, using the recently commissioned Zero-degree Facility of the K600 magnetic spectrometer at iThemba LABS. ...Inelastic proton scattering at an incident energy of 200MeV was measured on
27
Al ,
40
Ca ,
56
Fe ,
58
Ni and
208
Pb . A high energy-resolution (
Δ
E
≃
40
keV FWHM) could be achieved after utilising faint-beam and dispersion-matching techniques. A considerable fine structure is observed in the energy region of the IVGDR and characteristic energy scales are extracted from the experimental data by means of a wavelet analysis. The comparison with Quasiparticle-Phonon Model (QPM) calculations provides insight into the relevance of different giant resonance decay mechanisms. Photoabsorption cross sections derived from the data assuming a dominance of relativistic Coulomb excitation are in fair agreement with previous work using real photons.
The setup and experimental techniques for measurements of zero-degree inelastic scattering and reactions involving light ions with the K=600 magnetic spectrometer at iThemba LABS are described. ...Measurements were performed for inelastic proton scattering at an incident energy of 200
MeV for targets ranging from
27Al to
208Pb. An energy-resolution of 45
keV (FWHM) was achieved by utilizing the faint-beam dispersion-matching technique. A background subtraction procedure was applied and allowed for the extraction of excitation energy spectra with low background. Measurements of the (p,t) reaction at zero degrees for
E
p
=100 and 200
MeV benefited from the difference in magnetic rigidity between the reaction products and the beam particles, resulting in background-free spectra with an excitation energy-resolution of 32 and 48
keV (FWHM), respectively, and a scattering angle resolution of 0.55° (FWHM). The addition of Double Sided Silicon Strip Detectors (DSSSD) at backward scattering angles allowed for coincident measurements of particle-decay of states excited in the (p,t) reaction at
E
p
=
200
MeV
.
FLUKA Monte Carlo radiation transport code has been used to simulate neutron fluence spectrum at iThemba LABS neutron beam facility. Neutron beams with energy up to 200 MeV can be produced using ...different targets such as
7Li,
9Be and
12C bombarded with monoenergetic protons from the Separated-Sector Cyclotron. Simulated results at 66 MeV were compared with measured data. Different neutron emission angles with respect to the beam axis as well as the neutron background at different positions have been investigated.
Background: The Hoyle state is the archetypal α-cluster state which mediates the 3α reaction to produce 12C and is of great interest for both nuclear structure and astrophysics. Recent theoretical ...calculations predict a breathing-mode excitation of the Hoyle state at Ex≈9 MeV. Its observation is hindered by the presence of multiple broad states and potential interference effects. An analysis with Gaussian line shapes of measurements at the Research Center for Nuclear Physics (Osaka University) with the Grand Raiden spectrometer suggested that additional strength was needed at Ex≈9 MeV to reproduce the data; this analysis did not account for the well-known threshold effects observed in 12C. Nevertheless, various theoretical studies have since concluded that this additional strength corresponds to the predicted breathing-mode excitation of the Hoyle state. To meaningfully identify a new source of monopole strength in this astrophysically significant region, a more appropriate phenomenological analysis which accounts for penetrability and interference effects must be used to determine whether the data can be explained with previously established states.
Purpose: We aim to investigate the monopole strength in the astrophysically important excitation-energy region of 12C between Ex=7 and 13 MeV to determine whether the previously established sources of monopole strength are able to reproduce the data.
Method: The 12C(α,α′)12C and 14C(p,t)12C reactions, which are expected to exhibit contrasting selectivity towards different monopole excitations, were employed at various detection angles and beam energies to populate states in 12C. The inclusive excitation-energy spectra were simultaneously analyzed with multilevel, multichannel line shapes. Various scenarios with different sources of monopole strength and interference effects were considered to determine whether the ghost of the Hoyle state and the previously established broad 0+3 state at Ex≈10 MeV are able to reproduce the observed monopole strength.
Results: Clear evidence was found for excess monopole strength at Ex≈9 MeV, particularly in the 12C(α,α′)12C reaction at 0∘. This additional strength cannot be reproduced by the previously established monopole states between Ex=7 and 13 MeV. Coincident charged-particle decay data suggest that the strength at Ex≈9 MeV is dominantly monopole, with no evidence of a J>0 contribution.
Conclusions: The data support a new source of monopole strength at Ex≈9 MeV, which cannot be described with a phenomenological parametrization of all previously established states. An additional 0+ state at Ex≈9 MeV yielded a significantly improved fit of the data and is a clear candidate for the predicted breathing-mode excitation of the Hoyle state. Alternatively, the results may suggest that a more sophisticated, physically motivated parametrization of the astrophysically important monopole strengths in 12C is required.
Inelastic proton scattering at energies of a few hundred MeV and very-forward scattering angles including 0° has been established as a tool for the study of electric-dipole strength distributions in ...nuclei. The present work reports a systematic investigation of the chain of stable even-mass Nd isotopes representing a transition from spherical to quadrupole-deformed nuclei. Extraction of the equivalent photo-absorption cross sections and analysis of their fine structure in the energy region of the isovector giant dipole resonance (IVGDR). Method: Proton inelastic scattering reactions of 200 MeV protons were measured at the iThemba Laboratory for Accelerator Based Sciences in Cape Town, South Africa. The scattering products were momentum-analyzed by the K600 magnetic spectrometer positioned at θLab = 0°. Using dispersion-matching techniques, energy resolutions of ΔE ≈ 40–50 keV (full width at half maximum) were obtained. After subtraction of background and contributions from other multipoles, the spectra were converted to photoabsorption cross sections using the equivalent virtual-photon method. Wavelet-analysis techniques are used to extract characteristic energy scales of the fine structure of the IVGDR from the experimental data. Fine structure of the IVGDR is observed even for the most deformed nuclei studied. Comparisons between the extracted experimental energy scales and those energy scales obtained from the quasiparticle-phonon model (QPM) and Skyrme separable random phase approximation (SSRPA) predictions provide insight into the role of different giant-resonance damping mechanisms. It can be seen that the scales in the spherical and most likely also in the deformed nuclei mainly result from the fragmentation of the one-particle-one-hole (1p1h) strength into several dominant transitions serving as doorway states. In cases where calculations beyond the 1p1h level are available, some impact of the spreading due to coupling of the two-particle-two-hole (2p2h) states to the 1p1h doorway states is observed. New virtual-photon absorption data for the chain of stable Nd isotopes and 152Sm are presented, with a focus on the phenomenon of nonstatistical cross-section fluctuations, referred to as fine structure, in the energy region of the IVGDR. The wavelet-analysis techniques used allowed for the features of the fine structure to be quantified in the form of characteristic scales. Finally, comparisons between experimental results and model predictions indicate that Landau damping seems to be the main source of the fine structure in both the spherical and deformed nuclei, but calculations including 2p2h degrees of freedom would be beneficial to confirm this for the deformed cases.
This paper describes methods used in the manufacturing of chemically reactive targets such as calcium (
natCa), lithium-6 (
6Li) and molybdenum–97 (
97Mo) for nuclear physics experiments at the ...iThemba LABS cyclotron facility (Faure, South Africa). Due to the chemical properties of these materials a suitable and controlled environment was established in order to minimize oxygen contamination of targets. Calcium was prepared by means of vacuum evaporation while lithium was cold rolled to a desired thickness. In the case of molybdenum, the metallic powder was melted under vacuum using an e-gun followed by cold rolling of the metal bead to a desired thickness. In addition, latest developments toward the establishment of a dedicated nuclear physics target laboratory are discussed.
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