Theoretical predictions as well as experiments performed at storage rings have shown that the lifetimes of β-radionuclides can change significantly as a function of the ionization state. In this paper we describe an innovative approach, based on the use of a compact plasma trap to emulate selected stellar-like conditions. It has been proposed within the PANDORA project (Plasmas for Astrophysics, Nuclear Decay Observation and Radiation for Archaeometry) with the aim to measure, for the first time in plasma, nuclear β-decay rates of radionuclides involved in nuclear-astrophysics processes. To achieve this task, a compact magnetic plasma trap has been designed to reach the needed plasma densities, temperatures, and charge-states distributions. A multi-diagnostic setup will monitor, on-line, the plasma parameters, which will be correlated with the decay rate of the radionuclides. The latter will be measured through the detection of the γ-rays emitted by the excited daughter nuclei following the β-decay. An array of 14 HPGe detectors placed around the trap will be used to detect the emitted γ-rays. For the first experimental campaign three isotopes, ¹⁷⁶Lu, ¹³⁴Cs, and ⁹⁴Nb, were selected as possible physics cases. The newly designed plasma trap will also represent a tool of choice to measure the plasma opacities in a broad spectrum of plasma conditions, experimentally poorly known but that have a great impact on the energy transport and spectroscopic observations of many astrophysical objects. Status and perspectives of the project will be highlighted in the paper.

Odd-even staggering effects on charge distributions are investigated for fragments produced in semiperipheral and central collisions of ${}^{112}\text{Sn}+{}^{58}\text{Ni}$ at 35 MeV/nucleon. For fragments with $Z\le 16$ one observes a clear overproduction of even charges, which decreases for heavier fragments. Staggering persists up to $Z\sim 30$. The staggering appears to be substantially independent of the centrality of the collisions, suggesting that it is mainly related to the last few steps in the decay of hot nuclei. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.86.011602 ©2012 American Physical Society

Gamma rays, light charged particles, and evaporation residues emitted from hot nuclei formed in the ${}_{}{}^{36}{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{Ar}$ ${+}^{90}$Zr reaction at 27 MeV/nucleon have been measured at the GANIL facility with the 4π barium fluoride multidetector MEDEA. The combination of the residue and particle measurements shows that nuclei with masses around 115 and excitation energies between 350 and 550 MeV are produced. The γ spectra measured in coincidence with the evaporation residues exhibit three components: a low-energy statistical component, a high-energy contribution due to nucleon-nucleon bremsstrahlung during the initial stages of the collision, and a contribution from the decay of the giant dipole resonance built on highly excited states. The characteristics of the bremsstrahlung component are in agreement with previously published systematics. The γ yield from the decay of the giant dipole resonance remains constant over the excitation energy range studied. A comparison with other experiments shows that the N/Z asymmetry in the entrance channel does not affect the γ yield. Statistical calculations performed using the code C A S C A D E and supposing a fixed width and full sum rule strength for the dipole resonance strongly overpredict the data. The hypothesis of a continuously increasing width of the resonance with temperature gives a better agreement with experiment near the centroid of the resonance but overpredicts the γ spectra at higher energies. The best account of the data is given by assuming a cutoff of γ emission from the resonance above an excitation energy of approximately 250 MeV. This cutoff is discussed in terms of the time necessary to equilibrate the dipole oscillations with the hot compound nucleus. Finally, some evidence is given for a possible new low-energy component of the dipole strength at very high temperatures. © 1996 The American Physical Society.

The properties of the Isovector Giant Dipole Resonance are reviewed as a function of the temperature of the state on which it is built. The experimental methods, based on scintillation detectors efficient for the detection of high energy gamma-rays, are described. Methods for determining the excitation energy and temperature from the measurement of light charged particle energy spectra taking pre-equilibrium emission into account are presented. The resonance properties, energy, width and strength, are followed as a function of increasing temperature. The data are analyzed in the framework of the statistical model, which is briefly presented, by using the codes CASCADE and DCASCADE. Various prescriptions for the characteristics of the resonance as well as theoretical models are incorporated into these statistical codes in view of a direct comparison with the data. The successes and deficiencies of the Thermal Shape Fluctuation model at low temperatures are discussed. A salient feature is the surprisingly abrupt disappearance of dipole strength above a limiting temperature which depends on the nuclear mass. Several models taking into account the competition between the time scales of collective degrees of freedom and nuclear lifetime only roughly reproduce the trend of the data. This disappearance of strength is tentatively linked to the nuclear liquid–gas phase transition.

In the frame of the PANDORA project, a new experimental approach aims at measuring in-plasma β-decay rate as a function of thermodynamical conditions of the environment, namely a laboratory magnetized plasma able to mimic some stellar-like conditions. The decay rates (expected to change dramatically as a function of the ionization state) will be measured as a function of the charge state distribution of the in-plasma ions. The new experimental approach aims at correlating the plasma environment and the decay rate. This can be performed by simultaneously identifying and discriminating—through an innovative multi-diagnostic system working synergically with a γ-ray detection system —the photons emitted by the plasma and γ-rays emitted after the isotope β-decay. In this study, the numerical simulations supporting the design of the γ-ray detector array, including a statistical significance study to check the feasibility of measuring the in-plasma decay rates, are presented. Geant4 simulations focused on the design of the array of γ-ray detectors and the evaluation of total efficiency depending on the detector type and the optimal displacement of detectors around the trap (including collimation systems and shielding). The simulation results showed that, due to technical limitations in the number of apertures that can be created in the magnetic trap, the best compromise is to use 14 HPGe (70% of relative efficiency) detectors surrounding the magnetic trap. The HPGe detectors were chosen for their excellent energy resolution (0.2% @ 1 MeV), since the harsh environment (the background is represented by the intense plasma self-emission) strongly affects the signal-to-background ratio. Once determined the total photopeak efficiency (0.1–0.2%), the sensitivity of the PANDORA experiment was checked in a “virtual experimental run,” by exploring the measurability of isotope decay rates for the first three physical cases of PANDORA: ¹⁷⁶Lu, ¹³⁴Cs and ⁹⁴Nb. The preliminary results demonstrated the feasibility of the measurement in terms of the signal-to-background ratio and significance that it is possible to reach. The results indicated that experimental run durations could take from several days to 3 months, depending on the isotope under investigation, thus shedding new light on the role of weak interactions in stellar nucleosynthesis.