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Update on the Complete Decay Spectroscopy of <sup>54</sup>Ca and <sup>55</sup>Sc: Probing Nuclear Structure Near N = 34.

ORAL · Invited

Abstract

The first complete decay spectroscopy of 54Ca and 55Sc was performed at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) using an experimental setup that enabled the simultaneous detection β-delayed of γ rays and neutrons. This configuration facilitated extraction of the β-decay strength over a wide range of excitation energies, including neutron-unbound states. We observed neutron emission and multiple γ transitions following the decay of 54Ca to 54Sc and 55Sc to 55Ti, allowing for decay scheme reconstruction and β-feeding analysis. This work aims to probe the proposed N = 34 subshell closure, whose persistence still an open question. While 54Ca shows signatures of a gap at N = 34, the evolution of nuclear structure beyond Z = 20 is not well established. With a single proton in the πf7/2 orbital, 55Sc provides a sensitive probe of proton-neutron interactions that alter the neutron single-particle energies. These results offer new constraints on shell-model calculations in the neutron-rich fp-shell region and contribute to a broader understanding of shell evolution far from stability.

Presenters

  • Kay Kolos

Authors

  • Kay Kolos

  • Shree K Neupane

  • Wei Jia Ong

    Lawrence Livermore National Lab

  • James M Allmond

    Physics Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA

  • Robert K. Grzywacz

    University of Tennessee

  • Charlie C Rasco

    Oak Ridge National Laboratory

  • Hendrik Schatz

    Michigan State University

  • Brad Sherrill

    Michigan State University

  • Oleg B. Tarasov

    Michigan State University