Erlangen 2026 – scientific programme
Parts | Days | Selection | Search | Updates | Downloads | Help
HK: Fachverband Physik der Hadronen und Kerne
HK 13: Structure and Dynamics of Nuclei III
HK 13.1: Group Report
Tuesday, March 17, 2026, 16:15–16:45, AM 00.011
Fast-Timing Lifetime Measurements Following Thermal-Neutron Capture: Probing Shape Coexistence in Mid-Shell Sn Isotopes — •V. Karayonchev1, F. Wu2, C. Andreoiu2, C. Petrache3, J.-M. Régis4, C. Michelagnoli5, M. Beuschlein6, J. Jolie4, and C.R. Ding7 — 1ANL, Lemont, IL, USA — 2SFU, Burnaby, BC, Canada — 3Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS/IN2P3, IJCLab, Orsay, France — 4IKP, Köln, Germany — 5ILL, Grenoble, France — 6IKP, Darmstadt, Germany — 7School of Physics and Astronomy, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, China
Thermal-neutron capture reactions produce high-energy primary γ rays that can be used as clean and selective gates, greatly reducing background in γ–γ coincidence measurements. When combined with the fast-timing technique using LaBr3 detectors, this approach enables precise lifetime measurements of excited states populated through very weak decay branches — states that are often inaccessible with conventional methods. These measurements provide unique insight into the structure of stable nuclei.
This talk will present the methodology of fast timing following thermal-neutron capture and illustrate its capabilities through recent studies of mid-shell tin isotopes. In particular, lifetime and monopole (E0) strength measurements of low-lying 0+ states shed new light on shape coexistence phenomena in 116,118,120Sn. The experimental results will be compared with predictions from Multi-Reference Covariant Density Functional Theory (MR-CDFT).
Keywords: Nucelar Structure; Spectroscopy; Collectivity; Lifetime measurements