Large enhancement of the sub-barrier fusion probability for a halo nucleus

The fusion-fission cross sections of the 4He+238U and 6He+238U systems have been measured, at Louvain-la-Neuve, for energies around and below the Coulomb barrier, using an array of Si detectors surrounding a UF4 target. The data taken with 4He are in good agreement with previous data and with the coupled channel fusion calculation performed with ECIS. The 6He data show a regular trend with a large enhancement below the barrier which is attributed to the halo structure of the 6He nucleus.

Controlling absorption of gamma radiation via nuclear level anticrossing.

A significant reduction of absorption for single gamma photons has been experimentally observed by studying Mössbauer spectra of 57Fe in a FeCO3 crystal. The experimental results have been explained in terms of a quantum interference effect involving nuclear level anticrossing due to the presence of a combined magnetic dipole and electric quadrupole interaction.

Static quadrupole moment of the five-quasiparticle k = 35/2 isomer in (179)w studied with the level-mixing spectroscopy method.

The spectroscopic quadrupole moment of the high-spin, high- K five-quasiparticle isomer (K(pi) = 35/2(-), T(1/2) = 750(80) ns, E(i) = 3349 keV) in (179)W has been determined using the level mixing spectroscopy method. A value Q(s) = 4.00(+0.83-1.06)e b was derived, which corresponds to an intrinsic quadrupole moment Q0 = 4.73(+0.98-1.25)e b and to a quadrupole deformation beta(2) = 0.185(+0.038-0.049). These values differ significantly from the deduced ground-state quadrupole moments and are in disagreement with the current theoretical predictions in this mass region.

Quadrupole moment of the 11(-) intruder isomer in 196Pb and its implications for the 16(-) shears band head.

The quadrupole moment of the 11(-) isomer in 196Pb has been measured by the level mixing spectroscopy method. This state has a pi(3s(-2)(1/2)1h(9/2)1i(13/2))11(-) configuration which is involved in most of the shears band heads in the Pb region. The first directly measured value of Q(s)(11(-)) = (-)3.41(66) b, coupled to the previously known quadrupole moment of the nu(1i(-2)(13/2))12(+) isomer allows us to estimate the quadrupole moment of the 16(-) shears band head as Q(s)(16(-)) = -0.32(10) b. The experimental values are compared to tilted axis cranking calculations, giving insight into the validity of the additivity approach to couple quadrupole moments and on the amount of deformation in the shears bands.