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Nuclear Structure near the Proton Drip-line: A Search for Excited States in 62Ge

Farghaly, Dalia LU (2022) FYSM60 20212
Nuclear physics
Department of Physics
Abstract
An experiment to study mirror symmetry in the mass A = 60 region was performed at the Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) in 2020. The fusion-evaporation reaction 40Ca + 24Mg → 64Ge* at a beam energy of 106 MeV was used to populate excited states in 62Ge. The experimental setup used was made up of various detector systems, including Gammasphere for γ-ray detection, Microball in combination with two CD-type Double Sided Strip Detectors to measure evaporated charged particles, the Neutron Shell to observe evaporated neutrons, and the Fragment Mass Analyser with the Ionisation Chamber, to determine the mass and charge of reaction products. Energy and efficiency calibrations of Gammasphere were carried out as part of data processing in this... (More)
An experiment to study mirror symmetry in the mass A = 60 region was performed at the Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) in 2020. The fusion-evaporation reaction 40Ca + 24Mg → 64Ge* at a beam energy of 106 MeV was used to populate excited states in 62Ge. The experimental setup used was made up of various detector systems, including Gammasphere for γ-ray detection, Microball in combination with two CD-type Double Sided Strip Detectors to measure evaporated charged particles, the Neutron Shell to observe evaporated neutrons, and the Fragment Mass Analyser with the Ionisation Chamber, to determine the mass and charge of reaction products. Energy and efficiency calibrations of Gammasphere were carried out as part of data processing in this thesis work. Microball and Silicon detectors were used to perform anti-coincidence, and the Neutron Shell detector data was processed to highlight the two-neutron evaporation channel of 62Ge. An alternative attempt to select nuclei of A = 62 using the Fragment Mass Analyser in combination with the Ionisation Chamber was made. A calibration of the Ionisation Chamber was carried out as well as one optimisation of the Z resolution by combining energy loss signals in each part of the chamber to construct energy-loss functions. At the present stage of analysis of this dataset, there is no conclusive evidence confirming any transitions in 62Ge. (Less)
Popular Abstract
All matter in our Universe is made up of atoms, which are made up of protons, neutrons and electrons. The protons and neutrons sit tightly bound together by the strong force in the nucleus, which the electrons orbit. Understanding the structure of nuclei is a vital part of fundamentally understanding what we are all made of. Nuclei where the number of protons is equal to the number of neutrons are generally the most stable. Studying highly unstable nuclei with disproportionate numbers of protons and neutrons is interesting because it provides a deeper understanding of how the strong force works. Nuclei have discrete energy levels - and so when they lose energy they emit gamma rays with fixed energies, and other types of radiation, such as... (More)
All matter in our Universe is made up of atoms, which are made up of protons, neutrons and electrons. The protons and neutrons sit tightly bound together by the strong force in the nucleus, which the electrons orbit. Understanding the structure of nuclei is a vital part of fundamentally understanding what we are all made of. Nuclei where the number of protons is equal to the number of neutrons are generally the most stable. Studying highly unstable nuclei with disproportionate numbers of protons and neutrons is interesting because it provides a deeper understanding of how the strong force works. Nuclei have discrete energy levels - and so when they lose energy they emit gamma rays with fixed energies, and other types of radiation, such as protons, alpha radiation and neutrons. The Germanium isotope of interest in this thesis was created by using a fusion-evaporation reaction in the Argonne National Laboratory, USA. The Argonne Tandem Linac Accelerator System was used to accelerate a beam of Calcium-40 atoms to collide with a stationary Magnesium-24 target. This thesis is an attempt at exploring the nuclear structure of Germanium-62, while confirming and extending its level scheme. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Farghaly, Dalia LU
supervisor
organization
course
FYSM60 20212
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
nuclear physics, nuclear structure, proton drip-line, excited states, germanium, fusion-evaporation reaction, experimental nuclear physics, gamma sphere, gamma spectroscopy, HPGe detectors, data analysis
language
English
id
9085097
date added to LUP
2022-06-08 09:29:50
date last changed
2022-06-08 09:29:50
@misc{9085097,
  abstract     = {{An experiment to study mirror symmetry in the mass A = 60 region was performed at the Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) in 2020. The fusion-evaporation reaction 40Ca + 24Mg → 64Ge* at a beam energy of 106 MeV was used to populate excited states in 62Ge. The experimental setup used was made up of various detector systems, including Gammasphere for γ-ray detection, Microball in combination with two CD-type Double Sided Strip Detectors to measure evaporated charged particles, the Neutron Shell to observe evaporated neutrons, and the Fragment Mass Analyser with the Ionisation Chamber, to determine the mass and charge of reaction products. Energy and efficiency calibrations of Gammasphere were carried out as part of data processing in this thesis work. Microball and Silicon detectors were used to perform anti-coincidence, and the Neutron Shell detector data was processed to highlight the two-neutron evaporation channel of 62Ge. An alternative attempt to select nuclei of A = 62 using the Fragment Mass Analyser in combination with the Ionisation Chamber was made. A calibration of the Ionisation Chamber was carried out as well as one optimisation of the Z resolution by combining energy loss signals in each part of the chamber to construct energy-loss functions. At the present stage of analysis of this dataset, there is no conclusive evidence confirming any transitions in 62Ge.}},
  author       = {{Farghaly, Dalia}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Nuclear Structure near the Proton Drip-line: A Search for Excited States in 62Ge}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}