A method to access the complete identification in atomic number $Z$ and mass $A$ of fragments produced in low-energy fission of actinides is presented. This method, based on the use of multinucleon transfer and fusion reactions in inverse kinematics, is applied in this work to reactions between a ${}^{238}$U beam and a ${}^{12}$C target to produce and induce fission of moderately excited actinides. The fission fragments are detected and fully identified with the VAMOS spectrometer of GANIL, allowing the measurement of fragment yields of several hundreds of isotopes in a range between $A\sim 80$ and $\sim 160$, and from $Z\sim 30$ to $\sim 64$. Complete isotopic yield distributions of fragments from well defined fissioning systems are made available. Together with the precise measurement of the fragment emission angles and velocities, this technique gives further insight into the nuclear-fission process.

During therapeutic treatment with heavy ions like carbon, the beam undergoes nuclear fragmentation and secondary light charged particles, in particular protons and $\alpha$ particles, are produced. To estimate the dose deposited into the tumors and the surrounding healthy tissues, an accurate prediction on the fluences of these secondary fragments is necessary. Nowadays, a very limited set of double differential carbon fragmentation cross sections are being measured in the energy range used in hadron therapy (40 to 400 MeV/nucleon). Therefore, new measurements are performed to determine the double differential cross section of carbon on different thin targets. This work describes the experimental results of an experiment performed on May 2011 at GANIL. The double differential cross sections and the angular distributions of secondary fragments produced in the ${}^{12}$C fragmentation at 95 MeV/nucleon on thin targets (C, CH${}_2$, Al, Al${}_2$O${}_3$, Ti, and PMMA) have been measured. The experimental setup will be precisely described, the systematic error study will be explained and all the experimental data will be presented.

In this paper we investigate how a finite detection efficiency affects three popular multiplicity distributions, namely, the Poisson, the binomial, and the negative binomial distributions. We found that a multiplicity-independent detection efficiency does not change the characteristic of a distribution, while a multiplicity-dependent detection efficiency does. We layout a procedure to study the deviation of moments and their derivative quantities from the baseline distribution due to a multiplicity-dependent detection efficiency.

The ${}^{40}$Ca($\alpha ,\gamma$)${}^{44}$Ti reaction is believed to be the main production channel for the radioactive nuclide ${}^{44}$Ti in core-collapse supernovae. Radiation from decaying ${}^{44}$Ti has been observed so far for two supernova remnants, and precise knowledge of the ${}^{44}$Ti production rate may help improve supernova models. The ${}^{40}$Ca($\alpha ,\gamma$)${}^{44}$Ti astrophysical reaction rate is determined by a number of narrow resonances. Here, the resonance triplet at $E_{\alpha }=4497$, 4510, and 4523 keV is studied both by activation, using an underground laboratory for the $\gamma$ counting, and by in-beam $\gamma$ spectrometry. The target properties are determined by elastic recoil detection analysis and by nuclear reactions. The strengths of the three resonances are determined to be $\omega \gamma =(0.92\pm 0.20)$, $(6.2\pm 0.5)$, and $(1.32\pm 0.24)$ eV, respectively, a factor of 2 more precise than before. The strengths of this resonance triplet may be used in future works as a point of reference. In addition, the present new data directly affect the astrophysical reaction rate at relatively high temperatures (above 3.5 GK).

We present results for the one-loop anomalous dimension matrix of flavor nonsinglet twist-4 operators of lowest spin that contribute to the leading moment of the $F_2$ structure function in deep inelastic electron-nucleon scattering. We analyze the flavor structure of the anomalous dimension matrix and decompose the leading moment of $F_2$ into separate flavor channels. In addition to building on previous work with higher-twist operators, these results can provide a benchmark for future work that generalizes to include the higher moments as well. We include non-perturbative input from the lattice and phenomenological estimates of the twist-4 matrix elements and estimate the twist-4 contributions to the leading moment of $F_2$. The results suggest that the overall twist-4 contribution may be suppressed due to either cancellations among the twist-4 terms or inherently small twist-4 matrix elements.

Previous studies of nucleus-nucleus bremsstrahlung within the microscopic cluster model made use of a simplified current version of the electric transition operators, neglecting the meson exchange currents. The present microscopic cluster model relies on operators based on the charge density derived from an extension of the Siegert theorem valid for arbitrary photon energy. A part of the meson exchange current effects is then implicitly included in this approach. Divergence problems in matrix elements are avoided. The model is applied to the $\alpha +\alpha$ system at low photon energy for which experimental data are available. In particular, good agreement is obtained with data about on- and off-resonance $4^{+}\to 2^{+}$ transitions. The differences between the charge and current approaches are discussed on this example.

Mass-resolved angular distributions of fission product were measured in the ${}^{20}$Ne + ${}^{232}$Th reaction at $E_{\mathrm{lab}}$ $=$ 125.6 and 142.5 MeV using the recoil catcher technique followed by offline γ-ray spectrometry. Angular anisotropy was found to decrease with increasing asymmetry of mass division. Angular anisotropies of the fission products in the symmetric region were significantly higher compared to those calculated using the statistical saddle-point model. Experimental anisotropies could be explained after considering the contribution from pre-equilibrium fission. Use of barrier energies corresponding to different mass asymmetry values in the calculations could reasonably reproduce the mass dependence of angular anisotropies. The role of barrier energies in governing the angular anisotropy indicates that the mass dependence of anisotropy may possibly be a distinguishing feature of pre-equilibrium fission from quasifission, in which the composite system escapes into the exit channel without being captured inside the saddle point.

Data on inclusive pion and $\eta$ production measured with the dielectron spectrometer HADES in the reaction $p+{}^{93}\mathrm{Nb}$ at a kinetic beam energy of 3.5 GeV are presented. Our results, obtained with the photon-conversion method, supplement the rather sparse information on neutral-meson production in proton-nucleus reactions existing for this bombarding energy regime. The reconstructed $e^{+}{e}^{-}{e}^{+}{e}^{-}$ transverse-momentum and rapidity distributions are confronted with transport-model calculations, which account fairly well for both ${\pi }^0$ and $\eta$ production.

The neutron-matter equation of state constrains the properties of many physical systems over a wide density range and can be studied systematically using chiral effective field theory (EFT). In chiral EFT, all many-body forces among neutrons are predicted to next-to-next-to-next-to-leading order (N${}^3$LO). We present details and additional results of the first complete N${}^3$LO calculation of the neutron-matter energy, which includes the subleading three-nucleon as well as the leading four-nucleon forces, and provides theoretical uncertainties. In addition, we discuss the impact of our results for astrophysics: for the supernova equation of state, the symmetry energy and its density derivative, and for the structure of neutron stars. Finally, we give a first estimate for the size of the N${}^3$LO many-body contributions to the energy of symmetric nuclear matter, which shows that their inclusion will be important in nuclear structure calculations.

A new state at 11.48 MeV in ${}^{10}$B has been suggested as the likely analog of the 4${}^{+}$ state at 10.15 MeV in ${}^{10}$Be. I have computed proton single-particle widths for this state and for another (hypothetical) 4${}^{+}$ state 0.55 MeV higher to decay to the 5/2${}^{+}$ state of ${}^9$Be. Such a decay should provide a unique identification of the structure of this (or these) 4${}^{+}$ state(s).

The low-energy beam and ion trap Penning trap mass spectrometer was used for an improved determination of the ${}^{48}\mathrm{Ca}$ double-$\beta$ decay $Q$ value: $Q_{\beta \beta }=4268.121\left(79\right)\mathrm{keV}$. The new value is 1.2 keV greater than the value in the 2012 atomic mass evaluation [Chin. Phys. C 36, 1603 (2012)], a shift of three $\sigma$, and is a factor of 5 more precise. Accurate knowledge of this $Q$ value is important for experimental searches to observe neutrinoless double-$\beta$ decay (0$\nu \beta \beta$) in ${}^{48}\mathrm{Ca}$ and is essential for extracting the effective mass of the electron neutrino if the ${}^{48}\mathrm{Ca}$ half-life of 0$\nu \beta \beta$ was experimentally determined.

The high-spin level structure of the doubly odd nucleus ${}^{104}$Ag has been investigated via the ${}^{97}$Mo(${}^{11}$B, 4n)${}^{104}$Ag reaction at a beam energy of 50 MeV. The newly established level scheme includes lower-lying two-quasiparticle states and several higher-lying bands. Two positive-parity bands associated with the $\pi g_{9/2}^{-1}\otimes \nu d_{5/2}$ and $\pi g_{9/2}^{-1}\otimes \nu g_{7/2}$ configurations are extended significantly. Based on the comparison with the analogous structures in neighboring nuclei and the features of nuclear chirality, the negative parity bands are suggested as candidate chiral doublet bands with the $\pi g_{9/2}^{-1}\otimes \nu h_{11/2}$ configuration.

Particle-$\gamma$ coincidences have been measured to obtain $\gamma$-ray spectra as a function of excitation energy for ${}^{231–233}$Th and ${}^{237–239}$U. The level densities, which were extracted using the Oslo method, show a constant temperature behavior. The isotopes display very similar temperatures in the quasicontinuum, however, the even-odd isotopes reveal a constant entropy increase $\Delta S$ compared to their even-even neighbors. The entropy excess depends on available orbitals for the last unpaired valence neutron of the heated nuclear system. Also, experimental microcanonical temperature and heat capacity have been extracted. Several poles in the heat capacity curve support the idea that an almost continuous melting of Cooper pairs is responsible for the constant-temperature behavior.

Our family of three Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov (HFB) mass models, labeled BSk19, BSk20, and BSk21, is here extended by (a) refitting to the 2012 Atomic Mass Evaluation (AME), and (b) varying the symmetry coefficient $J$. Five new models, labeled BSk22 to BSk26, along with their mass tables, HFB-22 to HFB-26, respectively, are presented. These models are characterized by unconventional Skyrme forces containing $t_4$ and $t_5$ terms, i.e., density-dependent generalizations of the usual $t_1$ and $t_2$ terms, respectively. Highly realistic contact pairing forces are used. The Skyrme forces are constrained to fit realistic equations of state of neutron matter stiff enough to support the massive neutron stars PSR J1614$-$2230 and PSR J0348+0432. Unphysical spin and spin-isospin instabilities of homogeneous nuclear matter, including the transition to a polarized state in neutron-star matter, are eliminated with the new forces. The best fits to the new database of 2353 nuclei are found for models BSk24 ($J=30$ MeV) and BSk25 ($J=29$ MeV), for which the root-mean square (rms) deviations are 0.55 and 0.54 MeV, respectively. Despite the larger database this is even better than the rms deviation of 0.58 MeV that we found with our fits to the 2003 AME. With $J=32$ MeV the rms deviation rises to 0.63 MeV. The neutron-skin thicknesses derived from antiproton scattering are shown to be consistent with the conclusions that we have drawn from masses.

I have examined mirror energy differences between 2$s_{1/2}$ states in neutron-excess nuclei with $N$ $=$ 7 and 9 and their proton-excess mirrors having $Z$ $=$ 7 and 9. I find they can be fitted by a simple expression, which I then use to predict the masses of ${}^{10}$N and ${}^{13}$F.

We exactly solve the one-dimensional boost-invariant Boltzmann equation in the relaxation time approximation for arbitrary shear viscosity. The results are compared with the predictions of viscous and anisotropic hydrodynamics. Studying different nonequilibrium cases and comparing the exact kinetic-theory results to the second-order viscous hydrodynamics results we find that recent formulations of second-order viscous hydrodynamics agree better with the exact solution than the standard Israel-Stewart approach. Additionally, we find that, given the appropriate connection between the kinetic and anisotropic hydrodynamics relaxation times, anisotropic hydrodynamics provides a very good approximation to the exact relaxation time approximation solution.

We use the $\alpha$-$\alpha$ cluster model to describe the properties of ${}^8$Be. The rotational energy sequence of the $(0^{+},2^{+},4^{+})$ resonances are reproduced with the complex energy scaling technique for Ali-Bodmer and Buck potentials. However, both static and transition probabilities are far from the rotational values. We trace this observation to the prominent continuum properties of the $2^{+}$ and $4^{+}$ resonances. They resemble free continuum solutions although still exhibit strong collective rotational character. We compare with cluster models and discuss concepts of rotations in the continuum in connection with such central quantities as transition probabilities, inelastic cross sections, and resonance widths. We compute the $6^{+}$ and $8^{+}$ $S$-matrix poles and discuss properties of this possible continuation of the band beyond the known $4^{+}$ state. Regularization of diverging quantities is discussed to extract observable continuum properties. We formulate the division of electromagnetic transition probabilities into interfering contributions from resonance-resonance, continuum-resonance, resonance-continuum, and continuum-continuum transitions.

We undertake a simultaneous partial wave analysis of proton-proton and neutron-proton scattering data below the pion production threshold up to laboratory energies of $350\text{MeV}$. We represent the interaction as a sum of $\delta$ shells in configuration space below $3\text{fm}$ and a charge dependent one pion exchange potential above $3\text{fm}$ together with electromagnetic effects. We obtain a chi square value of 2813, for pp, and 3985, for nn, with a total of 2747 and 3691 pp and nn data, respectively, obtained till 2013 and a total number of 46 fitting parameters yielding a chi square value by degree of freedom of ${\chi }^2/\mathrm{d}.\mathrm{o}.\mathrm{f}=1.06$. Special attention is payed to estimate the errors of the phenomenological interaction as well as the derived effects on the phase shifts and scattering amplitudes.

Te and Xe isotopes above the $N=82$ shell closure are investigated within a large-scale shell model approach based on an iterative matrix diagonalization algorithm. The spectra and transition strengths, computed using a realistic Hamiltonian, are in overall agreement with the available experimental data. The calculation predicts an increasing neutron weight in the lowest collective $2_1^{+}$ state of the isotopes as they depart from the doubly magic ${}^{132}$Sn and move toward the neutron drip line. Such a neutron dominance is predicted to cause a breaking of the neutron-proton exchange symmetry and a dramatic drop of the strengths of the $E2$ and $M1$ transitions among the excited $2^{+}$ states. This drop establishes a strong asymmetry between Te and Xe isotopes above and below the $N=82$ shell closure.

By using an effective Lagrangian method, we study the effects of a newly proposed ${\Sigma }^{*}\left({\frac{1}{2}}^{-}\right)$ state with mass around 1380 MeV in the initial-state polarized $\gamma N\to K^{+}{\Sigma }^{*}\left(1385\right)\to K^{+}\pi \Lambda$ process near threshold. The theoretical predictions for the helicity cross sections ${\sigma }_{3/2}$, ${\sigma }_{1/2}$, as well as their ratios, and the angular distributions of $\pi$ in the $\pi \Lambda$ center-of-mass system are given. It is found that assuming ${\Sigma }^{*}\left({\frac{1}{2}}^{-}\right)$ exists or not, these physical quantities are distinctly different. So our results could be useful for the investigation of the existence of ${\Sigma }^{*}\left({\frac{1}{2}}^{-}\right)$ when the experimental data are available in the future.