Development of large deformation in 62Cr

Study of the N=32 and N=34 Shell Gap for Ti and V by the First High-Precision Multireflection Time-of-Flight Mass Measurements at BigRIPS-SLOWRI

The atomic masses of ^{55}Sc, ^{56,58}Ti, and ^{56-59}V have been determined using the high-precision multireflection time-of-flight technique. The radioisotopes have been produced at RIKEN's Radioactive Isotope Beam Factory (RIBF) and delivered to the novel designed gas cell and multireflection system, which has been recently commissioned downstream of the ZeroDegree spectrometer following the BigRIPS separator. For ^{56,58}Ti and ^{56-59}V, the mass uncertainties have been reduced down to the order of 10 keV, shedding new light on the N=34 shell effect in Ti and V isotopes by the first high-precision mass measurements of the critical species ^{58}Ti and ^{59}V. With the new precision achieved, we reveal the nonexistence of the N=34 empirical two-neutron shell gaps for Ti and V, and the enhanced energy gap above the occupied νp_{3/2} orbit is identified as a feature unique to Ca. We perform new Monte Carlo shell model calculations including the νd_{5/2} and νg_{9/2} orbits and compare the results with conventional shell model calculations, which exclude the νg_{9/2} and the νd_{5/2} orbits. The comparison indicates that the shell gap reduction in Ti is related to a partial occupation of the higher orbitals for the outer two valence neutrons at N=34.

Mapping of a New Deformation Region around ^{62}Ti

We performed the first direct mass measurements of neutron-rich scandium, titanium, and vanadium isotopes around the neutron number 40 at the RIKEN RI Beam Factory using the time-of-flight magnetic-rigidity technique. The atomic mass excesses of ^{58-60}Sc, ^{60-62}Ti, and ^{62-64}V were measured for the first time. The experimental results show that the two-neutron separation energies in the vicinity of ^{62}Ti increase compared to neighboring nuclei. This shows that the masses of Ti isotopes near N=40 are affected by the Jahn-Teller effect. Therefore, a development of Jahn-Teller stabilization appears below the Cr isotopes, and the systematics in Sc, Ti, and V isotopes suggest that ^{62}Ti is located close to the peak of the Jahn-Teller effect.

Extension of the N=40 Island of Inversion towards N=50: Spectroscopy of (66)Cr, (70,72)Fe

We report on the measurement of the first 2(+) and 4(+) states of (66)Cr and (70,72)Fe via in-beam γ-ray spectroscopy. The nuclei of interest were produced by (p,2p) reactions at incident energies of 260  MeV/nucleon. The experiment was performed at the Radioactive Isotope Beam Factory, RIKEN, using the DALI 2γ-ray detector array and the novel MINOS device, a thick liquid hydrogen target combined with a vertex tracker. A low-energy plateau of 2(1)(+) and 4(1)(+) energies as a function of the neutron number was observed for N≥38 and N≥40 for even-even Cr and Fe isotopes, respectively. State-of-the-art shell model calculations with a modified Lenzi-Nowacki-Poves-Sieja (LNPS) interaction in the pfg(9/2)d(5/2) valence space reproduce the observations. Interpretation within the shell model shows an extension of the island of inversion at N=40 for more neutron-rich isotopes towards N=50.

Quadrupole collectivity in neutron-rich Fe and Cr isotopes

Intermediate-energy Coulomb excitation measurements are performed on the N ≥ 40 neutron-rich nuclei (66,68)Fe and (64)Cr. The reduced transition matrix elements providing a direct measure of the quadrupole collectivity B(E2;2(1)(+) → 0(1)(+)) are determined for the first time in (68)Fe(42) and (64)Cr(40) and confirm a previous recoil distance method lifetime measurement in (66)Fe(40). The results are compared to state-of-the-art large-scale shell-model calculations within the full fpgd neutron orbital model space using the Lenzi-Nowacki-Poves-Sieja effective interaction and confirm the results of the calculations that show these nuclei are well deformed.

Enhanced quadrupole collectivity at N = 40: the case of neutron-rich Fe isotopes

The transition rates for the 2(1)+ states in (62,64,66)Fe were studied using the recoil distance Doppler-shift technique applied to projectile Coulomb excitation reactions. The deduced E2 strengths illustrate the enhanced collectivity of the neutron-rich Fe isotopes up to N = 40. The results are interpreted using the generalized concept of valence proton symmetry which describes the evolution of nuclear structure around N = 40 as governed by the number of valence protons with respect to Z ≈ 30. The trend of collectivity suggested by the experimental data is described by state-of-the-art shell-model calculations with a new effective interaction developed for the fpgd valence space.

Observation of a large reaction cross section in the drip-line nucleus 22C

Reaction cross sections (sigma(R)) for 19C, 20C and the drip-line nucleus 22C on a liquid hydrogen target have been measured at around 40A MeV by a transmission method. A large enhancement of sigma(R) for 22C compared to those for neighboring C isotopes was observed. Using a finite-range Glauber calculation under an optical-limit approximation the rms matter radius of 22C was deduced to be 5.4+/-0.9 fm. It does not follow the systematic behavior of radii in carbon isotopes with N < or = 14, suggesting a neutron halo. It was found by an analysis based on a few-body Glauber calculation that the two-valence neutrons in 22C preferentially occupy the 1s(1/2) orbital.