Coulomb excitation of the 242m Am isomer

Abstract

The242m Am isomer, a well-known candidate for photo-depopulation research, has been studied in this first ever Coulomb excitation of a nearly pure (≈ 98%) isomer target. Thirty new states, including a new rotational band built on a K π = 6 − state have been identified. Strong K-mixing results in nearly equal populations of the K π = 5 − and 6 − states. Newly identified states have been assigned to the K π = 3 − rotational band, the lowest states of which are known to decay into the ground-state band. Implications regarding K-mixing and Coulomb excitation paths to the ground state are discussed.

Nuclear structure and the search for induced energy release from isomers

“…Recently, an experiment was performed to study the nuclear structure of 242 Am using Argonne National Laboratory's ATLAS accelerator and Gammasphere, coupled to the CHICO charged-particle detector. Preliminary analysis [28] suggests some possible depletion paths, resulting from the observation of numerous new levels and transitions.…”