Nuclear Structure Studies
DIVISION OF THE DEPARTMENT
Division of nuclear physics
MEMBERS OF THE TEAM
Stanislav Antalic F1 270 tel: 453 web:antalic.dnp.fmph.uniba.sk
Boris Andel F1 268 tel: 543
<output>Adam Sitarčík</output>
Jozef Mišt (PhD student) F1 257
RESEARCH ACTIVITIES OF THE TEAM
The team focuses on the studies of structure and decays of heavy and superheavy atomic nuclei. The experimental measurements are performed within international collaborations at experiments SHIP at GSI Darmstadt (Germany), ISOLDE at CERN (Switzerland), AGFA at ANL (USA) and others. The main topics include:
Structure of the heaviest atomic nuclei. This topic is focused on obtaining information on excited nuclear states, where long-lived, so-called isomeric states are of special interest. New information was obtained mainly for isotopes around rutherfordium (Z = 104), for example for isomeric states in isotopes 253No and 253Fm [S. Antalic et al., Eur. Phys. J. A47, 62 (2011)], or for new isomers in 259Sg and 255Rf [S. Antalic et al., Eur. Phys. J. A51, 41 (2015), P. Mosat et al., Phys. Rev. C 101, 034310 (2020)]. The first study of 258Rf via beta decay of 258Db [F.P. Heßberger, S. Antalic et al., Eur. Phys. J. A52, 328 (2016)] and spectroscopy of 247Md [F.P.Heßberger et al. Eur. Phys. J. A 58, 11 (2022)] were performed as well.
Study of superheavy elements mainly includes attempts to synthesize new chemical elements at experiment SHIP at GSI Darmstadt and topics related to stability of the heaviest known atomic nuclei. In the past years we obtained information for example for the element 112 (Copernicium) [S. Hofmann et al. Eur. Phys. J. A32, 251 (2007)]. Experiments to confirm synthesis of the element 116 (Livermorium) [S. Hofmann et al. Eur. Phys. J. A48, 62 (2012)] and the attempt to synthesize the element 120 [S. Hofmann et al. Eur. Phys. J. A52, 180 (2016)] were also performed.
Nuclear structure studies of exotic isotopes around lead. Tieto These measurements involve detailed alpha and gamma spectroscopy, such as study of isomers in polonium isotopes [B. Andel et al., Phys, Rev. C93, 064316 (2016)], or synthesis of isotopes 197Fr a 198Fr at SHIP at GSI Darmstadt [Z. Kalaninová et al., Phys. Rev. C 87, 044335 (2013)], which hinted on an unusually fast alpha decays of nuclei. We also take part in various measurements at the ISOLDE facility. This facility provides a unique opportunity to combine laser (atomic) and decay (nuclear) spectroscopy, such as for example determination of ionization potential of astatine [S. Rothe et al., Nature Communications 4, 1835 (2013)], or measurements of changes in nuclear deformation along isotopic changes, as was done for example for mercury [B.A. Marsh et al., Nature Physics 14, 1163 (2018)], bismuth [A.Barzakh et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 127, 192501 (2021)] or gold [J. Cubiss et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 131, 202501 (2023)]. It is also possible to perform a detailed decay spectroscopy, as for example the measurement of beta decay of a new isomeric state in 214Bi [B. Andel et al., Phys. Rev. C 104, 054301 (2021)] and ground state and isomer in 216Bi [B. Andel et al., Phys. Rev. C 109, 064321 (2024)]. In recent years, we also performed measurements at ANL, as was for example the study of isotope 187Pb [W.Q. Zhang et al., Phys. Lett. B 829, 137129 (2022)] or the synthesis of isotope 190At [A.N. Andreyev et al., Phys. Rev. C 108, 034303 (2023)].
Studies of beta-delayed fission, which is one of the rare decay modes of atomic nuclei. This process provides unique opportunities to gain information on fission of nuclei, for which other fission studies are difficult or not feasible. In the past years, we obtained new information via the measurements at SHIP at GSI Darmstadt and at ISOLDE at CERN, such as the discovery of the new type of asymmetric fission [A.N. Andreyev et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 252502 (2010)], and beta-delayed fission studies of isotopes 192At and 194At [A.N.Andreyev, S. Antalic et al. Phys. Rev. C 87, 014317 (2013)]. Similar results were obtained for several nuclides and allowed us to gain an improved overview of fission fragment mass distributions for neutron-deficient isotopes in the lead region [L. Ghys et al. Phys. Rev. C 90, 041301 (2014)]. More recent results include identification of this process and determination of high beta-delayed fission probability for 230Am [G.L. Wilson et al., Phys. Rev. C 96, 044315 (2017)], and the study of beta-delayed fission separately for two isomers in 188Bi [B. Andel et al., Phys. Rev. C 102, 014319 (2020)].