Marina Barbui Trento, Italy, April 7-11, 2014

Exploring the alpha cluster structure of nuclei using the thick target inverse kinematics technique for multiple

alpha decays.

The 24Mg case

Marina Barbui

Trento, Italy, April 7-11, 2014

Alpha clustering in AstrophysicsEstimated limit N = 10a for self-conjugate

nuclei(Yamada PRC 69, 024309)

• Many theoretical works have brought to the picture of alpha cluster nuclei described as a diluted gas of alphas in the lowest S state. (PRL 87, 192501; PRC 75, 037303).

• Many experimental works have explored the 8Be and 12C cases, fewer are available on the heavier systems.

• We have investigated the 24Mg case with 20Ne+α at 2.9 and 9.7 AMeV using the Thick Target Inverse kinematics Technique (K. Artemov et al., Sov. J. Nucl. Phys. 52, 406 (1990))

mass

Excitation energy

The Thick target inverse kinematics technique

• Allows covering a large range of incident energies in the same experiment.

• In the inverse kinematics, the reaction products are focused at forward angles.

• Allows measuring reaction products emitted at 0o. • This Method (K. Artemov et al., Sov. J. Nucl. Phys. 52, 406 (1990)) has

been used several times to measure the resonant elastic scattering (Eur. Phys. J. A (2011) 47: 73; Eur. Phys. J. A (2011) 47:

96; AIP Conf. Proc. 1213, 137 (2010) ) and is used here for the first time to detect multiple alpha decays.

Experimental setup

0o

6.6o

11o

9.6o

14o

3o

20Ne beam from the K150 cyclotron at TAMU@ 3.7 AMeV, 2.9 AMeV after the window@ 11 AMeV, 9.7 AMeV after the window

Reaction chamber filled with 4He gas at a pressure sufficient to stop the beam before the detectors10.3 PSI with 20Ne beam @2.9 AMeVand50 PSI with 20Ne beam @9.7 AMeV

Measured quantities: -Energy signals from every detector pad.-Time from the cyclotron radiofrequency.

48 cm

Preliminary analysis

• Energy calibration.• Time calibration.• Identification of the alpha particles with gates on DE-E and E-

Time. • Selection of the events with alpha multiplicity 1, 2 and 3 for

further analysis.• Reconstruction of the interaction point in the gas using the

kinematics, the measured alpha energies and the energy loss tables from SRIM (double check with the measured time).

• Reconstruction of the excitation energy of the 24Mg.

Events with Alpha Multiplicity 1

- Nice energy resolution (about 30 keV at 0o) worsening as we move to larger angles

- Possibility to measure the whole excitation function in the same experiment.

Comparison with the excitation function measured in 10-15 keV energy steps in normal kinematics at 168o in the center of mass By R. Abegg and C.A. Davis PRC 43(1991)2523

--- 20Ne 2.9 AMeV

Threshold for 6a decay

Events with alpha multiplicity 2 20Ne @ 9.7 AMeV, 2a in the telescope at about 0 deg

Estimate of the uncorrelated events

After subtraction of the uncorrelated

24Mg*

8Be

16O

-PRC 63(2001)034317 -PRC 57 (1998) 1277 -This work

Threshold for 6a decay

Events with alpha multiplicity 3

24Mg*

12C1

12C2

aaa

Ex(12C) [MeV]

Hoyle state

3- state

if 12C2 is in the ground state

-PRC 63(2001)034317 -PRC 57 (1998) 1277 -This work

20Ne @ 9.7 AMeV, 3a Telescope1

We can do better• Improve the statistics by considering events

with 2 alphas in the Telescope 1 and the third elsewhere

7.6 MeV (0+)

2 12C in the Hoyle state we detect mixed alphas

9.6 MeV (3-)

11.8 MeV (2-) 12.7 MeV (1+)

10.8 MeV (1-)

For each state

• Relative energy of the three couples of alpha particles -> Tells us if the decay is proceeding through the 8Be ground state.

• Dalitz Plot and Sphericity/Coplanatity Plot -> Information about the energy and momentum of the emitted alpha particles. Tell us about the shape of the decaying 12C

• Excitation energy of the 24Mg

With selection of events decaying through the 8Begs

or not

• Erelative<220keV through 8Begs

• Erelative>220keV not through 8Begs

With subtraction of uncorrelated events

7.6 MeV (0+)

9.6 MeV (3-)

11.8 MeV (2-) 12.7 MeV (1+)

Energy[MeV]

Through 8Begs

No 8Begs

7.65 9.64 11.8 12.7

Energy Dalitz Plots

E1/Emax

E3/Emax

E2/Emax P=)P

𝑃 𝑦=𝐸1

𝐸𝑚𝑎𝑥

𝐸1+𝐸2+𝐸3=𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡=𝐸 𝑡𝑜𝑡

If the decay proceeds through the formation of a 8Be𝐸𝑚𝑎𝑥=

23 𝐸𝑡𝑜𝑡

Events inside the circle conserve both energy and momentumThe center of the circle is at P=(0.5, 0.5)

𝑦=𝑥√

3 Ideal to describe 3 body decaysBased on Viviani’s theorem saying that for any point P in an equilateral triangle the sum of the distances of the point from the sides of the triangle is a constant independent of P

Sphericity/Coplanarity study Use Energy flow matrix defined as in the references:Physics Letters 110 B (1982) 185Physics Letters B 240 (1990) 28PRL 64(1990) 2246 PRL 78 (1997) 2084 pi (n) are the momentum components of

the particle n, mn is the mass of the particle nli are the eigenvalues of the matrix in ascending order l1 ≤ l2 ≤ l3

Disk shape

Rod shape

7.6 MeV (0+) Hoyle State mostly decays through 8Begs

Consistent with the description of the Hoyle state by other authors

Less than 1.6 % of the events (depending on the cut) decay directly into 3 alphas

9.6 MeV (3-) decays through 8Begs

JoP Conference series 111 (2008)012017

Dalitz Plot (2- at 11.8 MeV) not decaying through 8Begs

Comapred with Fynbo’s predictions

Dalitz Plot (1+ at 12.7 MeV) not decaying through 8Begs

Comapred with Fynbo’s predictions

Simple Monte-Carlo decay simulationto understand something more about the shape of 12C

-Conservation of energy and momentum-Classical kinematics-Energy and width of the resonances-In case of decay through 8Be

Q

1) Q has a flat distribution2) Q is optimized in order to match the experimental energy distribution and sphericity/coplanarity plot

Hoyle state Experimental

Q has a flat distribution

• Q optimized (gaussian distribution centered at p/3 with sigma p/6 and Q>p/9)

(3-) state

• Q optimized (gaussian distribution centered at p/2 with sigma p/8)

Experimental

Q has a flat distribution

(1+) state at 12.7 MeV decaying through the 8Be excited state (Ex = 2.9 MeV, G=1 MeV )

• Q optimized (gaussian distribution centered at p/6 with sigma p/12)

Experimental

Q has a flat distribution

E*(12C1) = 11.83 MeV (2-) • Through the 8Be excited state

E=2.9 MeV, G=1 MeV

• Decay without 8Be

Experimental Data

Ex 24Mg

Explanation of the peak at 8.6 MeV• We see the peak only selecting the events decaying through the

ground state of 8Be • No peak for the other selection.• Might be due to 24Mg splitting into 2 carbons each in the Hoyle

state (reasonable because the Hoyle state is the most populated and mostly decays through the 8Be gs)

• If so, there should be a systematic effect if we look at the average kinetic energy along the beam axis (the high energy alpha particle in the center of mass is always connected to the less energetic one in the laboratory framework)

• If we look at the center of mass velocity in the x direction for the known states this has a symmetric distribution around zero

• The 8.6 MeV peak does not.• Simple Monte-Carlo simulation to show that this is what actually

occurs

Velocities on the beam directionHoyle State -> Symmetric (3- ) 9.6 MeV state -> Symmetric (2- )11.8 MeV state -> Symmetric

(1+) 12.7 MeV-> Symmetric

8.6 MeV peak -> NOT Symmetric = Something is wrong

Simple simulation ingredients:• Using the previous simulation for the 12C decay• Conservation of energy and momentum for the decay

of 24Mg• Inputs: E* (24Mg), E*(12C1) , E*(12C2), width of the states• Angular distribution of the carbons proportional to

Pl(cos q)2

• E* (24Mg) = 33.2 MeV (this is found to decay in 2 carbons)

First calculation:

If we mix 2 alphas from C1 and one alpha from C2

• The peak at 8.6 MeV appears.

• There is also a bump at about 10 MeV that we need to take into account

The x component of the velocity in the center of mass shows an asymmetric shape as for the measured 8.6 MeV peak

Experimental 8.6 MeV peak

How we reconstruct those events

• We can calculate the relative energy between C1 and C2

va3

va2

va1

C1

C2

C1 and C2 are in the Hoyle state and emit 3 alphas

• In the laboratory we see two alphas from C1 (va1, va2) and one from C2 (va3)

• va3<va1≈va2• In case of the Hoyle state the

standard deviation of the 3 alphas energies is very small => the average of v1 and v2 is very close to the velocity of C1, v3 represents the velocity of C2 (overestimated).

𝐸𝑟𝑒 𝑙𝐶1 −𝐶 2=

12𝜇𝑣𝑟𝑒𝑙❑

2

E*C1= E*C2 = 7.65 MeV

Q(24Mg->2 12C) = -13.93 MeV

E*24Mg = + E*C1+ E*C2 + 13.93

In the lab

Conclusions

• We observed several resonant states in 24Mg with excitation energy up to 38 MeV, well above the threshold for decaying in 6 alpha particles

• We did not observe any direct decay into 6 alphas • The observed states show alpha cluster properties.

Depending on the energy they can decay in 20Ne+a, 16O +8Be, 12C+12C->3a, 12C->3a+12C->3a.

• Several 12C excited states decaying into 3 a particles were identified and analyzed in detail to obtain information about the decay mode and the shape of the 3 a configuration.

Thank you for your attention!

M. Barbui1, V.Z. Goldberg1, E-J. Kim1, K. Hagel1, G.Rapisarda1, S. Wuenschel1, X. Liu1,2, H. Zheng1,

G. Giuliani1, and J.B. Natowitz1

1 Cyclotron Institute, Texas A&M University, MS3366 College Station, TX

2 Institute of modern physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China