Beta-delayed neutron emission of ^70,71,72Co

Beta-decay strength measurements are required to constrain the nuclear models, which aim to predict nuclear lifetimes and decay branching ratios. Recently, this became an important research topic, especially for neutron-rich nuclei, relevant to the r-process. We studied beta delayed neutron emission of neutron-rich cobalt isotopes to (Z=28) nickel nuclei to complete the strength distribution measurements which previously used gamma-ray spectroscopy methods. The neutron emission was investigated with the VANDLE neutron time of flight detector array at NSCL. Neutron energy spectra and emission probabilities were obtained, and beta-n-gamma coincidences where they could be determined. The obtained beta-delayed neutron emission for the decays of the nuclei Co-70,71,72 are interpreted using a newly developed framework that combines shell-model and statistical-model calculations.