Multifaceted Decay of ^{116}Cs

Area of Science:

• Nuclear Physics
• Radioactive Decay Studies

Background:

• Investigating exotic nuclei near the proton drip line is crucial for understanding nuclear structure and decay mechanisms.
• Cesium-116 (¹¹⁶Cs) decay properties offer a unique window into nuclear behavior under extreme proton-rich conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To comprehensively study the decay properties of ^{116}Cs.
• To identify new nuclear states and exotic decay modes in the medium-heavy region.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the ISOLDE facility at CERN for radioactive ion beam experiments.
• Employed advanced detection techniques to identify decay products and measure their properties.

Main Results:

• Identified over six new unbound states in ^{116}Xe.
• Observed a novel low-energy isoscalar octupole resonance.
• Reported the first observation of delayed two-proton emission in the medium-heavy region, significantly rarer than single-proton emission.
• Provided evidence for long-range proton-proton correlation.
• Indicated a rare heavy cluster emission event (¹²C).

Conclusions:

• The decay of ^{116}Cs exhibits complex and exotic phenomena, including new nuclear states and decay modes.
• The observed phenomena challenge and refine current nuclear models.
• This study significantly advances the understanding of nuclear structure and decay at the proton drip line.