We solved the three-nucleon (3N) Faddeev equation including relativistic features at incoming neutron lab energies $E_n^{\mathrm{lab}}=28,65,135$, and 250 MeV. Those features are relativistic kinematics, boost effects and Wigner spin rotations. As dynamical input a relativistic nucleon-nucleon (NN) interaction exactly on-shell equivalent to the AV18 NN potential has been used. The effects of Wigner rotations for elastic scattering observables were found to be small. The boost effects are significant at higher energies. They diminish the transition matrix elements at higher energies and lead in spite of the increased relativistic phase-space factor as compared to the nonrelativistic one to rather small effects in the cross section, which are mostly restricted to the backward angles.

Excitation functions of the spin correlation coefficients $A_{\mathit{NN}}(p_{\mathrm{lab}},{\theta }_{c.m.}),A_{\mathit{SS}}(p_{\mathrm{lab}},{\theta }_{c.m.})$, and $A_{\mathit{SL}}(p_{\mathrm{lab}},{\theta }_{c.m.})$ have been measured with the polarized proton beam of the Cooler Synchrotron and an internal polarized atomic beam target. Data were taken continuously during the acceleration for proton momenta $p_{\mathrm{lab}}$ ranging from 1000 to 3300 MeV/c (kinetic energies $T_{\mathrm{lab}}$ 450–2500 MeV) as well as for discrete momenta of 1430 MeV/c and above 1950 MeV/c covering angles ${\theta }_{c.m.}$ between ${30}^{°}$ and ${90}^{°}$. The data are of high internal consistency. Whereas $A_{\mathit{SL}}(p_{\mathrm{lab},}{\theta }_{c.m.})$ is small and without structures in the whole range, $A_{\mathit{NN}}$ and, even more, $A_{\mathit{SS}}$ show a pronounced energy dependence. The angular distributions for $A_{\mathit{SS}}$ are at variance with predictions of existing phase-shift analyses at energies beyond 800 MeV. The impact of our results on phase-shift solutions is discussed. The direct reconstruction of the scattering amplitudes from all available $\mathit{pp}$ elastic scattering data considerably reduces the ambiguities of solutions.

The level structure of ${}^{249}\mathrm{Bk}$ has been investigated by measuring the γ-ray spectra of an extremely pure ${}^{253}\mathrm{Es}$ sample obtained by milking this nuclide from ${}^{253}\mathrm{Cf}$ source material produced in the High Flux Isotope Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Additional information on the ${}^{249}\mathrm{Bk}$ levels was obtained from the ${\beta }^{-}$-decay study of ${}^{249}\mathrm{Cm}$, produced by neutron irradiation of ${}^{248}\mathrm{Cm}$. Using the results of the present study together with the data from previous ${}^{248}\mathrm{Cm}$($\alpha ,t$) and ${}^{248}\mathrm{Cm}$(${}^3\mathrm{He},d$) reactions, the following single-particle states have been identified in ${}^{249}\mathrm{Bk}$: 7/2${}^{+}$[633], 0.0 keV; 3/2${}^{-}$[521], 8.78 keV; 1/2${}^{+}$[400], 377.55 keV; 5/2${}^{+}$[642], 389.17 keV; 1/2${}^{-}$[530], 569.20 keV; 1/2${}^{-}$[521], 643.0 keV; 5/2${}^{-}$[523], 672.9 keV; and 9/2${}^{+}$[624], 1075.1 keV. Four vibrational bands were identified at 767.9, 932.2, 1150.7, and 1223.0 keV with tentative assignments of {7/2${}^{+}$ [633] $\otimes 1^{-}$}9/2${}^{-}$, {7/2${}^{+}$ [633] $\otimes \hspace{1em}{0}^{-}$}7/2${}^{-}$, {7/2${}^{+}$ [633] $\otimes \hspace{1em}{1}^{-}$}5/2${}^{-}$, and {7/2${}^{+}$ [633] $\otimes \hspace{1em}{0}^{+}$}7/2${}^{+}$, respectively. A band at 899.9 keV was observed in $\gamma \text{−}\gamma$ coincidence measurements and given a tentative spin assignment of 3/2. It is possibly associated with a 2${}^{-}$ phonon coupled to the ground state, with configuration {7/2${}^{+}$ [633] $\otimes \hspace{1em}{2}^{-}$}3/2${}^{-}$. Three levels at 624.3, 703.5, and 769.1 keV were assigned spins of 5/2, 7/2, and 9/2, respectively. These could be the members of the 3/2${}^{+}$ [651] band, expected in this energy region.

A simple, two-parameter IBA-1 Hamiltonian is applied to light W, Os, and Pt nuclei with $N\le 104$. Equal emphasis is placed on fitting all low-lying positive parity excitations resulting in a good description of energy levels and electromagnetic transition rates. A mapping of these parameters into the IBA symmetry triangle finds that these nuclei lie rather central in the triangle and close to the phase transition region of the IBA model.

A β-decay study of the even mass ${}^{74,76,78}\mathrm{Cu}$ isotopes toward levels in ${}^{74,76,78}\mathrm{Zn}$ was performed at the ISOLDE mass separator. The copper isotopes were produced in proton- or neutron-induced fission reactions on ${}^{238}\mathrm{U}$, laser ionized, mass separated, and sent to a $\beta -\gamma$ detection system. Half-lives, decay schemes, and possible spin configurations were obtained for the copper isotopes. The results are compared with calculations using schematic forces as well as large-scale shell-model calculations with realistic forces.

We address the problem, previously considered by Ginocchio and Haxton (GH), of the number of states for three identical particles in a single j shell with angular momentum $J=j$. GH solved this problem in the context of the quantum Hall effect. We address it in a more direct way. We also consider the case $J=j+1$ to demonstrate that our method is more general, and we show how to take care of added complications for a system of five identical particles.

The three superdeformed (SD) bands in ${}^{132}\mathrm{Ce}$ and the two SD bands in ${}^{131}\mathrm{Ce}$ have been extended to higher spin, following experiments with the Euroball IV spectrometer. The two SD bands in ${}^{131}\mathrm{Ce}$ have been linked together. However, despite the relatively high population intensity of the bands (up to 5% of the respective channel), it has not been possible to unambiguously link any of the five SD bands into the low-spin, normally deformed structures of ${}^{131,132}\mathrm{Ce}$. At the highest spins ($>60\hslash$), some of the bands exhibit the characteristic behavior of smooth band termination, i.e., energetically costly angular-momentum generation near the finite mesoscopic limit. Configuration-dependent cranked Nilsson-Strutinsky calculations have been performed to suggest single-particle configurations for the SD bands and to investigate the possibility of termination in these bands.

We have investigated properties of α-decay chains of recently produced superheavy elements $Z=115$ and $Z=113$ using the new Lagrangian model NL-SV1 with inclusion of the vector self-coupling of the ω meson in the framework of relativistic mean-field theory. It is shown that the experimentally observed α-decay energies and half-lives are reproduced well by this Lagrangian model. Further calculations for the heavier elements with $Z=117\text{−}125$ show that these nuclei are superdeformed with a prolate shape in the ground state. A superdeformed shell closure at $Z=118$ lends an additional binding and an extra stability to nuclei in this region. Consequently, it is predicted that the corresponding $Q_{\alpha }$ values provide α-decay half-lives for heavier superheavy nuclei within experimentally feasible conditions. The results are compared with those of macroscopic-microscopic approaches. A perspective of the difference in shell effects among various approaches is presented and its consequences for superheavy nuclei are discussed.

A complete and critical survey is presented of all half-life, decay-energy, and branching-ratio measurements related to 20 superallowed $0^{+}\to 0^{+}$ decays; no measurements are ignored, although some are rejected for cause and others updated. A new calculation of the statistical rate function f is described and experimental $ft$ values determined. The associated theoretical corrections needed to convert these results into “corrected” $\mathcal{F}t$ values are discussed, and careful attention is paid to the origin and magnitude of their uncertainties. As an exacting confirmation of the conserved vector current hypothesis, the corrected $\mathcal{F}t$ values are seen to be constant to three parts in ${10}^4$. These data are also used to set a new limit on any possible scalar interaction (assuming maximum parity violation) of $C_S/C_V=-(0.00005\pm 0.00130)$. The average $\mathcal{F}t$ value obtained from the survey, when combined with the muon liftime, yields the up-down quark-mixing element of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) matrix, $V_{ud}=0.9738\pm 0.0004$, and the unitarity test on the top row of the matrix becomes $\left|V_{ud}\right|{}^2+\left|V_{us}\right|{}^2+\left|V_{ub}\right|{}^2=0.9966\pm 0.0014$ using the Particle Data Group's currently recommended values for $V_{us}$ and $V_{ub}$. If $V_{us}$ comes instead from two recent results on $K_{e3}$ decay, the unitarity sum becomes 0.9996(11). Either result can be expressed in terms of the possible existence of right-hand currents. Finally, we discuss the priorities for future theoretical and experimental work with the goal of making the CKM unitarity test more definitive.

The properties of spin-polarized neutron matter are studied at both zero and finite temperature using Skyrme-type interactions. It is shown that the critical density at which ferromagnetism takes place decreases with temperature. This unexpected behavior is associated to an anomalous behavior of the entropy that becomes larger for the polarized phase than for the unpolarized one above a certain critical density. This fact is a consequence of the dependence of the entropy on the effective mass of the neutrons with different third spin component. A new constraint on the parameters of the effective Skyrme force is derived if this behavior is to be avoided.

The partial cross sections from the neutron capture state to the ground and first excited states in ${}^8\mathrm{Li}$ have been separately determined for the first time at stellar neutron energy. The direct and weak cascade γ rays from the capture and first excited states to the ground state were measured by means of anti-Compton NaI(Tl) and anti-Compton HPGe spectrometers, respectively. The γ-ray branching ratio and the cross sections thus determined agree with that for thermal neutrons assuming a 1$/v$ neutron velocity dependence. By comparing the cross sections with calculations based on the nonresonant direct capture mechanism it is shown that the cross sections are sensitive to the interaction potential of the incident neutron with the ${}^7\mathrm{Li}$ target nucleus. This analysis confirms the possibility of deriving the parameters necessary for the calculation of the astrophysical S factor $S_{17}(E)$ for the ${}^7\mathrm{Be}(p,\gamma ){}^8\mathrm{B}$ reaction in the upper energy range above 500 keV.

Using a 33 MeV proton beam with our Enge split-pole spectrograph, we measured the $Q_0$ values of the ${}^{24}\mathrm{Mg}(p,t){}^{22}\mathrm{Mg}$ and ${}^{28}\mathrm{Si}(p,t){}^{26}\mathrm{Si}$ reactions relative to that of the ${}^{16}\mathrm{O}(p,t){}^{14}\mathrm{O}$ reaction. Data were obtained at scattering angles of ${15}^{°}$ and ${25}^{°}$. Based on the masses of ${}^{24}\mathrm{Mg}$, ${}^{28}\mathrm{Si}$, ${}^{16}\mathrm{O}$, ${}^{14}O,p$, and t, we determined the mass excesses of ${}^{22}\mathrm{Mg}$ and ${}^{26}\mathrm{Si}$ to be −400.5(1.0) and −7139.5(1.0) keV, respectively. Our result for the mass of ${}^{22}\mathrm{Mg}$ is in excellent agreement with recent high-precision measurements.

The half-lives of ${}^{110}\mathrm{Sn}$ and ${}^{109}\mathrm{In}$ isotopes have been measured with high precision. The results are $T_{1/2}=4.173\pm 0.023$ h for ${}^{110}\mathrm{Sn}$ and $T_{1/2}=4.167\pm 0.018$ h for ${}^{109}\mathrm{In}$. The precision of the half-lives has been increased by a factor of 5 with respect to the literature values, thereby making results of the recently measured ${}^{106}\mathrm{Cd}(\alpha ,\gamma ){}^{110}\mathrm{Sn}$ and ${}^{106}\mathrm{Cd}(\alpha ,p){}^{109}\mathrm{In}$ cross sections more reliable.

We extend to a series of higher energies an earlier study, R. S. Mackintosh and N. Keeley, Phys. Rev. C 70, 024604 (2004), of the local dynamic polarization potential for the ${}^6\mathrm{He}+{}^{208}\mathrm{Pb}$ interaction. The dynamic polarization potential generated by the coupling to breakup channels is determined using the CDCC-plus-inversion method and does not involve semiclassical approximations. The long-ranged potential generated by the dipole breakup persists, with very little change in radial form and relative strength of real and imaginary terms, to energies far above the near Coulomb barrier energy. The dynamic polarization potentials presented here extend from 10 fm, well inside the strong absorption radius, out to 60 fm (i.e., including the transition region from where nuclear excitation dominates to the asymptotic region dominated by electric dipole excitation). Real and imaginary components of the dynamic polarization potential each contribute substantially to the scattering.

Recently Turbide et al. have performed an exhaustive work on thermal photon production from hadronic matter [Phys. Rev. C 69, 014903 (2004)]. One of the findings of their work is that the $t\text{−}$channel ω-exchange process in the $\pi \rho \to \pi \gamma$ reaction constitutes the single most dominant contribution for thermal photons with energies beyond 2 GeV. In the present calculation we found that the contribution from the intermediary $a_1$ is more than that from the ω meson exchange processes. We have evaluated the photon emission rate from the process $\pi \rho \to a_1\to \pi \gamma$ for various interaction Lagrangians available in the literature. The effects of vertex form factors have been neglected because the main focus here is to understand the relative importance of ω and $a_1$ exchange processes in photon production.

The ${}^9\mathrm{Be}({}^{46}\mathrm{Ar},{}^{45}\mathrm{Ar}+\gamma )X$ one-neutron removal reaction has been studied in inverse kinematics at 70 MeV/nucleon. Coincidences with γ rays served to disentangle knockout events leading to the ${}^{45}\mathrm{Ar}$ ground state. The measured partial cross section corresponds to a spectroscopic factor of 4.9(7). The residue momentum distribution is compared with new calculations based on eikonal theory and represents the first case of an $\ell =3$ neutron removal, as is expected for populating a $0f_{7/2}$ hole in the $N=28$ projectile. However, the measured ${}^{45}\mathrm{Ar}$ momentum distribution has a marked low-momentum tail suggestive of dissipative effects whereas the eikonal model predictions are symmetric. The angular distribution of the residues confirms that there is a deviation from the model.

The cross section for α-particle emission in the ${}^6\mathrm{He}+{}^{209}\mathrm{Bi}$ reaction at energies near the Coulomb barrier is remarkably large. Possible reactions that may produce the observed α particles include two-neutron transfer, one-neutron transfer, and direct projectile breakup. Each of these mechanisms results in a distinctive angular correlation between the α particle and the outgoing neutron(s). A neutron-α-particle coincidence experiment was performed to study two-neutron transfer to unbound states of ${}^{211}\mathrm{Bi}$. It is shown that approximately 55% of the observed α-particle yield at and beyond the grazing angle is because of this process. This is more than 2.5 times the fraction attributable to single-neutron transfer. The corresponding 2n-transfer cross section is 0.4 ± 0.1 b.

We explore possible ways of explaining the net charge event-by-event fluctuations in Au+Au collisions observed in experiments at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider within a quark recombination model. We estimate the number of quarks at recombination and their implications for the predicted net charge fluctuations. We also discuss the consequences of diquark and quark-antiquark clustering above the deconfinement temperature.