A1 Journal article (refereed)
Evolution of Octupole Deformation in Radium Nuclei from Coulomb Excitation of Radioactive 222Ra and 228Ra Beams (2020)

Butler, P. A., Gaffney, L. P., Spagnoletti, P., Abrahams, K., Bowry, M., Cederkäll, J., de Angelis, G., De Witte, H., Garrett, P. E., Goldkuhle, A., Henrich, C., Illana, A., Johnston, K., Joss, D. T., Keatings, J. M., Kelly, N. A., Komorowska, M., Konki, J., Kröll, T., . . . Zielinska, M. (2020). Evolution of Octupole Deformation in Radium Nuclei from Coulomb Excitation of Radioactive 222Ra and 228Ra Beams. Physical Review Letters, 124(4), Article 042503. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.124.042503

JYU authors or editors

Publication details

All authors or editors: Butler, P. A.; Gaffney, L. P.; Spagnoletti, P.; Abrahams, K.; Bowry, M.; Cederkäll, J.; de Angelis, G.; De Witte, H.; Garrett, P. E.; Goldkuhle, A.; et al.

Journal or series: Physical Review Letters

ISSN: 0031-9007

eISSN: 1079-7114

Publication year: 2020

Volume: 124

Issue number: 4

Article number: 042503

Publisher: American Physical Society

Publication country: United States

Publication language: English

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.124.042503

Publication open access: Openly available

Publication channel open access: Partially open access channel

Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/67743

Web address of parallel published publication (pre-print): https://arxiv.org/abs/2001.09681

Abstract

There is sparse direct experimental evidence that atomic nuclei can exhibit stable “pear” shapes arising from strong octupole correlations. In order to investigate the nature of octupole collectivity in radium isotopes, electric octupole (E3) matrix elements have been determined for transitions in 222,228Ra nuclei using the method of sub-barrier, multistep Coulomb excitation. Beams of the radioactive radium isotopes were provided by the HIE-ISOLDE facility at CERN. The observed pattern of E3 matrix elements for different nuclear transitions is explained by describing 222Ra as pear shaped with stable octupole deformation, while 228Ra behaves like an octupole vibrator.

Keywords: nuclear physics

Free keywords: collective levels; electromagnetic transitions; nuclear structure and decays

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Ministry reporting: Yes

Reporting Year: 2020

JUFO rating: 3