Opportunities for production and property research of neutron-rich nuclei around N=126 at HIAF

The study of nuclide production and its properties in the N=126 neutron-rich region is prevalent in nuclear physics and astrophysics research.The upcoming High-energy FRagment Separator(HFRS)at the High-Intensity heavy-ion Accelerator Facility(HIAF),an in-flight separator at relativistic energies,is characterized by high beam intensity,large ion-optical acceptance,high magnetic rigidity,and high momentum resolution power.This provides an opportunity to study the production and properties of neutron-rich nuclei around N=126.In this paper,an experimental scheme is proposed to produce neutron-rich nuclei around N=126 and simultaneously measure their mass and lifetime based on the HFRS separator;the feasibility of this scheme is evaluated through simulations.The results show that under the high-resolution optical mode,many new neutron-rich nuclei approaching the r-process abundance peak around A=195 can be produced for the first time,and many nuclei with unknown masses and lifetimes can be produced with high statistics.Using the time-of-flight corrected by the measured dispersive position and energy loss information,the cocktails produced from 208 Pb fragmentation can be unambiguously identified.Moreover,the masses of some neutron-rich nuclei near N=126 can be measured with high precision using the time-of-flight magnetic rigidity technique.This indicates that the HIAF-HFRS facility has the potential for the production and property research of neutron-rich nuclei around N=126,which is of great significance for expanding the chart of nuclides,developing nuclear theories,and understanding the origin of heavy elements in the universe.

Toward real-time digital pulse process algorithms for CsI(Tl)detector array at external target facility in HIRFL-CSR

A fully digital data acquisition system based on a field-programmable gate array(FPGA) was developed for a CsI(Tl) array at the external target facility(ETF) in the Heavy Ion Research Facility in Lanzhou(HIRFL). To process the CsI(Tl) signals generated by γ-rays and light-charged ions, a scheme for digital pulse processing algorithms is proposed. Every step in the algorithms was benchmarked using standard γ and α sources. The scheme, which included a moving average filter, baseline restoration, leading-edge discrimination, moving window deconvolution, and digital charge comparison, was subsequently implemented on the FPGA. A good energy resolution of 5.7% for 1.33-MeV γ-rays and excellent α-γ identification using the digital charge comparison method were achieved, which satisfies CsI(Tl) array performance requirements.

Temperature dependence of CsI:Tl coupled to a PIN photodiode and a silicon photomultiplier

With the aim of simulating the harsh temperature condition of space, a thallium-activated cesium iodide crystal(CsI:Tl) detector readout with a PIN photodiode(CsI:Tl(PD)) and with a silicon photomultiplier(CsI:Tl(SiPM)) is investigated over a temperature range from-40 to 40 ℃. With the increase in temperature, the output signal increases by ～ 24% with CsI:Tl(PD) and decreases by ～69% with CsI:Tl(SiPM). To reduce the effect of temperature in outer space, a method of bias voltage compensation is adopted for CsI:Tl(SiPM). Our study demonstrates that after correcting the temperature the variation in the analog-to-digital converter's amplitude is< 3%.

Implantation-decay method to study the β-delayed charged particle decay

In this paper,the implantation-decay method is introduced to study the β-delayed charged particle decay.A silicon detector array was used for the implantation of the incident beams and for the detection of the emitted particles.An experimental measurement on the β-delayed particle emission from ^(22)Al was used to demonstrate the method.The half-life value,charged particle spectroscopy,γ ray spectrum,and γ particle coincidence for the decay process were obtained and compared with previous experimental results for ^(22)Al.The results show that the implantation-decay method,using a silicon detector array,is a suitable experimental method to study the β-delayed charged particle decay for proton-rich nuclei.

A tracking system for the external target facility of CSR

A tracking system composed of three multiwires proportional chambers(MWPCs) for the external target facility of the Cooler Storage Ring is reported in this paper. The active areas of the MWPCs are 518 mm 9400 mm, 582 mm 9 450 mm, and 710 mm 9 500 mm Each MWPC consists of a series of alternately placed cathode and anode wire planes and can measure position along the directions of-30°, 0°, and 30° relative to horizontal. The construction and operation of the detectors are described, and a method for track reconstruction is introduced. A track-finding efficiency of about 62% and a spatial resolution of 1.21 mm have been achieved. The pion and proton can be identified clearly with the tracking system combined with a time-of-flight system.

Charge-changing cross section measurements of 300 MeV/nucleon^(28)Si on carbon and data analysis

Charge-changing cross section(σcc)measurements via the transmission method have recently seen significant progress with the aim of determining the charge radii of exotic nuclei.In this work,we report a newσcc measurement of 304(9)MeV/nucleon^(28)Si on carbon at the second Radioactive Ion Beam Line in Lanzhou(RIBLL2)and describe the data analysis procedure in detail.This procedure is essential for evaluating the systematic uncertainty in the transmission method.The determinedσcc of 1125(11)mb is found to be consistent with the existing data at similar energies.The present work will serve as a reference forσcc determinations at RIBLL2.

Towards the full realization of the RIBLL2 beam line at the HIRFL-CSR complex

More than 99%of the mass in the visible universe—the material that makes up ourselves,our planet,stars—is in the atomic nucleus.Although the matter has existed for billions of years,only over the past few decades have we had the tools and the knowledge necessary to get a basic understanding of the structure and dynamic of nuclei.Nuclear physicists around the world have made tremendous strides by initiating a broad range of key

Bowl-shaped conjugated polycycles

The conjugated polycycles show excellent optical and electrical properties that are suitable for application in various organic electronics.While most of attentions have been paid to polycycles having planar π-conjugated system,the curved polycycles seem amazing due to their unique physical and chemical features.The non-planar conjugated polycycles have been created with the geometries of bracelet,saddle,bowl,Mobius band,helicenes,etc.Among them,the bowl-shaped one is of growing interest owing to the multidiscipline applications such as synthetic intermediates for end-cap of carbon nanotube,coordination with metal ions,encapsulation of fullerenes,and fabrication of electronic devices.In this paper,we summarize the recent advances on the chemistry of the bowl-shaped conjugated polycycles,particularly on their synthesis and the further chemical modifications toward organic functional materials.

Predictive current control of multi-pulse flexible-topology thyristor AC-DC converter

This paper proposes a novel multi-pulse flexible-topology thyristor rectifier(FTTR) that can operate over a large voltage range while maintaining a low total harmonic distortion(THD) in the input current.The proposed multi-pulse FTTR has two operating modes:parallel mode and series mode.Irrespective of the mode in which it operates,the multi-pulse FTTR maintains the same pulses in the load current.To mitigate the harmonic injection into the AC mains,the topology-switching mechanism is then proposed.In addition,predictive current control is employed to achieve fast current response in both the transience and the transitions between modes.To verify the effectiveness of the multi-pulse FTTR as well as the control scheme,performance analysis based on an 18-pulse FTTR is investigated in detail,including fault tolerance evaluation,current THD analysis based on IEEE standard,and potential applications.Finally,a simulation model and the corresponding laboratory setup are developed.The results from both simulation and experiments demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed multi-pulse FTTR as well as the control scheme.

Fragmentation of stable and neutron-rich ^(12-16)C into boron fragments at approximately 240 MeV/nucleon

The elemental fragmentation cross sections of boron fragments produced by stable and neutron-rich^(12-16)C beams with a carbon target were systematically measured at an incident beam energy of approximately 240 MeV/nucleon.The measured cross sections were found to increase as the projectile mass number increases.The observed feature is explained qualitatively based on the abrasion-ablation two-stage reaction model and is compared quantitatively with predictions from various reaction models,including empirical and statistical models.All models agree with the measured cross sections within a factor of 2.

Isotopic production cross sections of fragmentation residues produced by ^(18)O ions on a carbon target near 260 MeV/nucleon

The isotopic cross sections of residual nuclei produced in fragmentation reactions of ^(18)O projectiles impinging on a carbon target at energies near 260 MeV/nucleon were measured at the HIRFL facility in Lanzhou(China).A full identification of atomic and mass numbers of fragments was achieved from the determination of their magnetic rigidity,energy loss,and time of flight.The production cross sections for a dozen of nitrogen,carbon,and boron isotopes were determined with uncertainties below 30% for most of the cases.The obtained cross sections for N and B isotopes show a rather good agreement with previous experimental data obtained with different projectile energies.The cross sections for some C isotopes seem to exhibit a dependence on the projectile energy.A comparison of the data and several theoretical model calculations are presented.