Isomers and hindrances in <sup>254</sup>No (Z=102)
ORAL
Abstract
The physics and chemistry of superheavy elements are frontier areas of current research.
While elements up to Z=118
have been synthesized, detailed spectroscopic investigations are feasible mainly for
nuclei around Z≈100. These axially deformed nuclei exhibit long-lived isomers
from valence nucleon couplings, providing insights into nuclear structure and
symmetries. We report on a new spectroscopic study of the decay of high-K
isomers in 254No152, a touchstone nucleus for testing models for the structure
of superheavy nuclei. The experiment, performed using the Argonne Gas-Filled
Analyzer (AGFA), was geared toward resolving long-standing ambiguities in spin-
parity and configuration assignments for the two- and four-quasiparticle (qp)
intrinsic excitations identified in this nucleus. The isomer decay schemes are
firmly established with the help of the highest-statistics γ-γ coincidence data
collected to date, providing anchor points for competing theories. The results
will be presented and compared to existing model predictions, and new insights
for distinguishing between hindrances arising from the K quantum number or
from other configuration changes will be discussed
While elements up to Z=118
have been synthesized, detailed spectroscopic investigations are feasible mainly for
nuclei around Z≈100. These axially deformed nuclei exhibit long-lived isomers
from valence nucleon couplings, providing insights into nuclear structure and
symmetries. We report on a new spectroscopic study of the decay of high-K
isomers in 254No152, a touchstone nucleus for testing models for the structure
of superheavy nuclei. The experiment, performed using the Argonne Gas-Filled
Analyzer (AGFA), was geared toward resolving long-standing ambiguities in spin-
parity and configuration assignments for the two- and four-quasiparticle (qp)
intrinsic excitations identified in this nucleus. The isomer decay schemes are
firmly established with the help of the highest-statistics γ-γ coincidence data
collected to date, providing anchor points for competing theories. The results
will be presented and compared to existing model predictions, and new insights
for distinguishing between hindrances arising from the K quantum number or
from other configuration changes will be discussed
*Supported in part by the U.S. Department of Energy
–
Publication: S. G. Wahid et. al., to be submitted to PRC (2024)
Presenters
-
Gholam Wahid Shaikh
- University of Massachusetts Lowell