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Importance of Triaxiality in Shape Transitions and Coexistence in A ~ 100 to 126 Neutron-rich Nuclei with Z Beyond and Below Ru
Y. X. LUO, J. H. Hamilton, J. O. Rasmussen, A.V. Ramayya, S. Frauendorf, E. WANG, J. K. Hwang, J. G. WANG, H. J. LI, E. Y. Yeoh, S.J. ZHU, Y. X. LIU, C. F. JIAO, W. Y. LIANG, Yue SHI, F. R. XU, Y. SUN, 0, S. H. LIU, N. T. Brewer, I. Y. Lee, G.M. Ter-Akopian, A. V. Daniel, Yu.Oganessian, M. A. Stoyer, R. Donangelo, W. C. MA (马文超)
2015, 32(1): 1-23. doi: 10.11804/NuclPhysRev.32.01.001  Published:2015-03-20
Keywords: neutron-rich nuclei with Z from Z = 41 through Z = 48, nuclear shape transition and coexistence, prolate-to-oblate shape transition, triaxial deformation
This paper reviews the systematic investigations and understanding for the shape transitions and coexistence with regard to triaxial deformations in A s 100 to 126 neutron-rich Rh (Z = 45), Pd (Z = 46), Ag (Z = 47), Cd (Z = 48) and Zr (Z = 40), Nb (Z = 41), Mo (Z = 42), Tc (Z = 43) isotopes with Z beyond and below Ru (Z = 44), respectively, in Ru the maximal triaxial deformation having been predicted and deduced. The recent measurements and studies of prompt triple- and four-fold, γ-γ-γ and γ-γ-γ-γ, coincidence data from the spontaneous fission of 252Cf using Gammasphere have yielded considerable expansion and extension or first observation of the bands in Ru, Pd, Cd, and Nb isotopes,which provided important data for the studies of nuclear shapes in this region. Combined with previous investigations, recent systematic studies of the new data well reproduced by PES, TRS, PSM, CCCSM and SCTAC model calculations have traced shape changes along the isotonic and isotopic chains, respectively,and with changing excitations/spins as well, significantly expanding our knowledge of shape transitions/coexistence in nuclei.For the neutron-rich Ru and beyond, Rh, Pd, Ag and Cd isotopes, triaxial deformations γ= 28°,slightly smaller than the maximal value, were deduced in Rh (Z = 45) isotopes, with chiral symmetry breaking proposed in 103-106Rh; onset of wobbling motions were identified in 112Ru and 114Pd (N =68),and probably also in 114Ru (N =70); evolution from chiral symmetry breaking in 110,112Ru with maximal triaxial deformations to disturbed chirality in 112,114,116Pd with less pronounced triaxial deformations was proposed; rich nuclear structure was proposed in soft Ag isotopes with possible chiral doubling structure suggested in 104,105Ag, and softness towards triaxial deformation proposed in heavier 115,117Ag;quasi-particle couplings, quasi-rotations and soft triaxiality were suggested in Cd (Z =48) isotopes with small deformations; onset of collectivity was recently suggested in 122,124,126Cd in the vicinity of Z =50 and N = 82 closed shells by studies of Coulomb excitations; shape evolutions from maximal triaxial deformations in Ru (γ=30°, with triaxial minimum energy gain of 0.67 MeV), through Rh with large triaxial deformations ( γ=28°), to less pronounced triaxiality in Pd (with triaxial minimum energy gain of 0.32 MeV), then soft triaxiality in Ag, and finally to slightly deformed Cd isotopes but with emergence of collectivity and soft triaxiality were proposed. The systematic studies of the band crossings in Pd revealed up-rising drivings of the first band crossings caused by (νh11/2)2 and down-sloping drivings of the second band crossings by (πg9/2)2, explained the onset of wobbling motions in 114Pd,and showed a long-sought picture of shape evolution and coexistence in the Pd isotopic chain which is more complete but complex than earlier predictions. Based on the systematic studies in the mass region,maximal triaxial deformation is found to be reached in 112Ru and less-pronounced triaxiality centered at 114Pd, both for N =68, four neutrons more than predicted in earlier theoretical calculations.In the neutron-rich Zr (Z =40), Nb (Z =41), Mo (Z =42) and Tc (Z =43) isotopes with Z just below Ru, large quadrupole deformations of axially symmetric shapes were deduced in Y and Zr isotopes, with emergence of the degree of freedom having been suggested for heavier Zr isotopes; medium triaxial deformations were deduced for the ground states of heavier (A > 104) Nb isotopes, and, with increasing excitations and spins, evolution from medium triaxial deformations with strong quadrupole deformations at ground states to nearly axially-symmetric shapes were deduced; light Nb isotopes (A6103) have near axially-symmetric shapes with strong quadrupole deformations; combining with the identification of onset of strong quadrupole deformation at 100Nb in the Nb isotopic chain, an increase of soft triaxiality with increasing neutron number was proposed in 100-106Nb. Shape coexistence with regard to soft triaxiality is also proposed in Nb isotopes; large triaxial deformations, vibrations and chiral doublets were proposed in Mo isotopes; chiral doubling and large triaxial deformations (γ ~26°) slightly smaller than the maximal triaxiality were suggested in Tc isotopes.The neutron-rich nuclei with Z ranging from 41 through 48 and A ~100 to 126, especially the Pd and Nb isotopes are thus found to be transitional nuclei with regard to triaxiality.