A1 Journal article (refereed)
Quadrupole and octupole collectivity in the semi-magic nucleus 80,206Hg126 (2023)

Morrison, L., Hadyńska-Klȩk, K., Podolyák, Zs., Gaffney, L.P., Zielińska, M., Brown, B.A., Grawe, H., Stevenson, P.D., Berry, T., Boukhari, A., Brunet, M., Canavan, R., Catherall, R., Cederkäll, J., Colosimo, S.J., Cubiss, J.G., De Witte, H., Doherty, D.T., Fransen, Ch., . . . Zidarova, R. (2023). Quadrupole and octupole collectivity in the semi-magic nucleus 80,206Hg126. Physics Letters B, 838, Article 137675. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physletb.2023.137675

JYU authors or editors

Publication details

All authors or editors: Morrison, L.; Hadyńska-Klȩk, K.; Podolyák, Zs.; Gaffney, L.P.; Zielińska, M.; Brown, B.A.; Grawe, H.; Stevenson, P.D.; Berry, T.; Boukhari, A.; et al.

Journal or series: Physics Letters B

ISSN: 0370-2693

eISSN: 1873-2445

Publication year: 2023

Publication date: 06/01/2023

Volume: 838

Article number: 137675

Publisher: Elsevier

Publication country: Netherlands

Publication language: English

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physletb.2023.137675

Publication open access: Openly available

Publication channel open access: Open Access channel

Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/85262

Abstract

The first low-energy Coulomb-excitation measurement of the radioactive, semi-magic, two proton-hole nucleus 206Hg, was performed at CERN’s recently-commissioned HIE-ISOLDE facility. Two γ rays depopulating low-lying states in 206Hg were observed. From the data, a reduced transition strength B(E2; 2+ 1 → 0+ 1 ) = 4.4(6) W.u was determined, the first such value for an N = 126 nucleus south of 208Pb, which is found to be slightly lower than that predicted by shell-model calculations. In addition, a collective octupole state was identified at an excitation energy of 2705 keV, for which a reduced B(E3) transition probability of 30+10−13 W.u was extracted. These results are crucial for understanding both quadrupole and octupole collectivity in the vicinity of the heaviest doubly-magic nucleus 208Pb, and for benchmarking a number of theoretical approaches in this key region. This is of particular importance given the paucity of data on transition strengths in this region, which could be used, in principle, to test calculations relevant to the astrophysical r-process.

Keywords: nuclear physics; mercury; isotopes

Contributing organizations

Ministry reporting: Yes

Reporting Year: 2023

Preliminary JUFO rating: 3