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Pathway for the Production of Neutron-Rich Isotopes around the N=126 Shell Closure
Y X Watanabe1, Y H Kim2,3, S C Jeong1
1Institute of Particle and Nuclear Studies, High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK), Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0801, Japan.
Physical Review Letters
|November 10, 2015
Summary
Researchers produced rare, neutron-rich isotopes using multinucleon transfer reactions. This method, involving collisions with minimal energy loss, is key to studying nuclear stability and processes relevant to astrophysics.
Area of Science:
- Nuclear Physics
- Nuclear Astrophysics
- Heavy-ion Collisions
Background:
- The N=126 shell closure is a critical region for understanding nuclear stability and astrophysical processes.
- Producing neutron-rich isotopes near this shell closure, especially those with Z<78, is experimentally challenging.
- Previous theoretical models suggested multinucleon transfer reactions as a promising pathway.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally determine the cross sections for isotopically identified products from multinucleon transfer.
- To investigate the production of hard-to-reach neutron-rich isotopes around the N=126 shell closure.
- To identify the reaction conditions favoring the formation of these exotic nuclei.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a large acceptance spectrometer to detect reaction products.
- Studied the (136)Xe + (198)Pt system at approximately 8 MeV/nucleon.
- Analyzed isotopic distributions to identify and quantify produced isotopes.
Main Results:
- Successfully produced and identified neutron-rich isotopes with Z<78 around the N=126 shell closure.
- Demonstrated that collisions with minimal kinetic energy dissipation are the primary source of these exotic nuclei.
- Reported absolute cross sections for the observed multinucleon transfer products.
Conclusions:
- Multinucleon transfer reactions are an effective method for producing neutron-rich isotopes near N=126.
- These findings validate theoretical predictions and provide crucial data for nuclear structure and astrophysics.
- The study highlights the importance of studying reactions with low energy dissipation for accessing exotic nuclei.
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