The completely unknown spectrum of excited states of the odd-odd nucleus ${}^{230}$Pa was studied employing the one-neutron transfer reaction ${}^{231}$Pa($d,t$)${}^{230}$Pa at a beam energy of 22 MeV. The excitation energy and the cross section were measured for, in total, 81 states below 1.4 MeV. Level assignments of these states are based on a semiempirical model and comparison with theoretical predictions, based on distorted-wave Born approximation (DWBA) calculations for the cross sections. For 12 rotational bands the band-head energy and the rotational parameter are determined. The $K$ quantum numbers and the Nilsson configurations are established. Empirical values for the Gallagher-Moszkowski splittings and for Newby shifts are obtained.

Medium- and high-spin states of ${}^{132}$La have been studied based on the data obtained from ${}^{100}$Mo(${}^{36}\text{S},p3n$) and ${}^{116}$Cd(${}^{23}\text{Na},\alpha 3n$) fusion-evaporation reactions using the EUROBALL and Gammasphere detector arrays, respectively. Triple-$\gamma$ coincidence relations, angular correlations, and linear polarizations of the observed $\gamma$ transitions have been deduced. The level scheme of ${}^{132}$La has been considerably extended, and unambiguous spin and parity values have been assigned to most of the excited states. The configuration of one of the bands is $\pi g_{7/2}{\left(h_{11/2}\right)}^2\nu h_{11/2}$ instead of the previously thought $\pi h_{11/2}\nu h_{11/2}$; thus its previously suggested magnetic rotational character cannot be upheld. The observed similarities between the level structures of ${}^{132}$La and ${}^{134}$Pr suggest the possible existence of a third $\pi h_{11/2}\nu h_{11/2}$ band in ${}^{132}$La that may show chiral features.

For the magnetic moment of the 2083 keV level of ${}^{140}$Ce, there are four published data, all obtained by applying an external magnetic field of less than 5 T to a liquid sample containing ${}^{140}$La using the time-differential perturbed angular correlation (TDPAC) technique. Although these four values are consistent within two times their uncertainties (2σ), the range of values in 2σ extends from $\mu =+3.0$ to $+$5.2 (in units of nuclear magneton, ${\mu }_{\mathrm{N}}$). This time, the TDPAC technique was successfully applied to the 2083 keV level of ${}^{140}$Ce implanted in an Fe foil. The magnetic moment of this level was determined to be $\mu =+4.00\left(20\right){\mu }_{\mathrm{N}}$, employing the known hyperfine field at ${}^{141}$Ce in Fe, −41(2) T, which agrees very well with one of the values, $\mu =+4.06\left(15\right){\mu }_{\mathrm{N}}$. The present value is compared with two shell-model calculations.

To study the heavy-ion-induced reactions, particularly complete and incomplete fusion, the excitation functions for ${}^{16}$O$+{}^{165}$Ho interactions at energies $\approx$73–105 MeV have been measured using a well-established activation technique. The excitation functions have been compared with the predictions of the statistical model code pace4. The comparison advises that the formation of $xn$ and $pxn$ channels is governed only via complete fusion processes. Even after correction for precursor contribution, a significant enhancement in the production of $\alpha$-emitting channels may be attributed to incomplete fusion contribution. Furthermore, in order to understand incomplete fusion reactions in a more conclusive way, the incomplete fusion fraction has been analyzed with the existing data for ${}^{12}$C and ${}^{20}$Ne beams on the same target (${}^{165}$Ho) where a strong projectile structure effect has been observed, which correlates incomplete fusion reaction dynamics with the $\alpha$-$Q$ value of the projectile.

The ${}^{155}$Gd($n,\gamma$) reaction was measured with the DANCE $\gamma$-ray calorimeter (consisting of 160 BaF${}_2$ scintillation detectors) at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center. The $\gamma$-ray energy spectra for different multiplicities were obtained for the $s$-wave resonances. The shapes of these spectra were compared with simulations based on the use of the dicebox statistical model code. Simulations showed that the photon strength functions (PSFs) successfully describing the decay of ${}^{156}$Gd are very similar to the PSFs describing the decay of previously published ${}^{158}$Gd results. It was demonstrated that the scissors mode is required not only for the ground-state transitions, but also for transitions between excited states.

We calculate the yields of quarkonia in heavy ion collisions at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) and the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) as a function of their transverse momentum. Based upon nonrelativistic quantum chromodynamics, our results include both color-singlet and color-octet contributions and feed-down effects from excited states. In reactions with ultrarelativistic nuclei, we focus on the consistent implementation of dynamically calculated nuclear matter effects, such as coherent power corrections, cold nuclear matter energy loss, and the Cronin effect in the initial state. In the final state, we consider radiative energy loss for the color-octet state and collisional dissociation of quarkonia as they traverse through the QGP. Theoretical results are presented for $J/\psi$ and ${\rm Y}$ and compared to experimental data where applicable. At RHIC, a good description of the high-$p_T$ $J/\psi$ modification observed in central $\mathrm{Cu}+\mathrm{Cu}$ and $\mathrm{Au}+\mathrm{Au}$ collisions can be achieved within the model uncertainties. We find that measurements of $J/\psi$ yields in proton-nucleus reactions are needed to constrain the magnitude of cold nuclear matter effects. At the LHC, a good description of the experimental data can be achieved only in midcentral and peripheral $\mathrm{Pb}+\mathrm{Pb}$ collisions. The large fivefold suppression of prompt $J/\psi$ in the most central nuclear reactions may indicate for the first time possible thermal effects at the level of the quarkonium wave function at large transverse momenta.

We report the measurement of near-threshold neutral pion electroproduction cross sections and the extraction of the associated structure functions on the proton in the kinematic range $Q^2$ from 2 to $4.5$ GeV${}^2$ and $W$ from $1.08$ to $1.16$ GeV. These measurements allow us to access the dominant pion-nucleon $s$-wave multipoles $E_{0+}$ and $S_{0+}$ in the near-threshold region. In the light-cone sum-rule framework (LCSR), these multipoles are related to the generalized form factors $G_1^{{\pi }^{0}p}\left(Q^2\right)$ and $G_2^{{\pi }^{0}p}\left(Q^2\right)$. The data are compared to these generalized form factors and the results for $G_1^{{\pi }^{0}p}\left(Q^2\right)$ are found to be in good agreement with the LCSR predictions, but the level of agreement with $G_2^{{\pi }^{0}p}\left(Q^2\right)$ is poor.

We present a calculation of ${\pi }^0$ photoproduction on the proton in manifestly Lorentz-invariant baryon chiral perturbation theory up to and including chiral order $q^4$. With the results we analyze the latest ${\pi }^0$ photoproduction data in the threshold region obtained at the Mainz Microtron. In the calculation of observables and the fit of the low-energy constants, we take $S$, $P$, and $D$ waves into account. We compare the results for the multipoles with the corresponding single-energy analysis. Furthermore, we also fit the $O\left(q^4\right)$ heavy-baryon chiral perturbation theory calculation and compare both results. We provide predictions for several polarization observables for future experiments. Finally, we discuss the $\beta$ parameter of the unitarity cusp which is related to the breaking of isospin symmetry.

Excited states of ${}^{76}$Ge have been populated in above-barrier Coulomb excitation and inelastic scattering of a 530-MeV ${}^{76}$Ge beam on a ${}^{238}$U target and studied using in-beam $\gamma$-ray spectroscopy with the Gammasphere array. The $\gamma$ band was extended considerably and one new band was identified. Comparisons of the $\gamma$ band with collective- and shell-model calculations suggest that ${}^{76}$Ge may be a rare example of a nucleus exhibiting rigid triaxial deformation in the low-lying states.

We use a potential model, together with spectroscopic factors from a combination of weak coupling and a shell-model calculation, to compute the mass of the ground state of ${}^{18}$Mg, considered as a mirror of ${}^{18}$C. The result is $E_{2p}=3.87\left(10\right)\mathrm{MeV}$.

The hole-state random-phase approximation (hRPA) and the particle-state random-phase approximation (pRPA) for systems like odd $A$ nuclei are discussed. These hRPA and pRPA are formulated based on the Hartree-Fock ground state. An extension of hRPA and pRPA based on a correlated ground state is given using time-dependent density-matrix theory. Applications to the single-particle states around ${}^{16}$O are presented. It is shown that inclusion of ground-state correlation affects appreciably the results of hRPA and pRPA. The question of the coupling of the center-of-mass motion of the core to the particle (hole) is also discussed.

Centrifugal stretching in the deformed rare-earth nucleus ${}^{170}$Hf is investigated using high-precision lifetime measurements, performed with the New Yale Plunger Device at Wright Nuclear Structure Laboratory, Yale University. Excited states were populated in the fusion-evaporation reaction ${}^{124}$Sn(${}^{50}$Ti,4n)${}^{170}$Hf at a beam energy of 195 MeV. Recoil distance doppler shift data were recorded for the ground state band through the $J={16}^{+}$ level. The measured $B\left(E2\right)$ values and transition quadrupole moments improve on existing data and show increasing $\beta$ deformation in the ground state band of ${}^{170}$Hf. The results are compared to descriptions by a rigid rotor and by the confined $\beta$-soft rotor model.

The $\beta$-feeding probabilities for three important contributors to the decay heat in nuclear reactors, namely ${}^{102,104,105}$Tc, have been measured using the total absorption spectroscopy technique. For the measurements, sources of very high isobaric purity have been obtained using a Penning trap (JYFLTRAP). A detailed description of the data analysis is given and the results are compared with high-resolution measurements and theoretical calculations.

The total-Routhian-surface (TRS) calculation provides a powerful theoretical tool to describe the collective rotations of nuclei. It gives a straightforward way to determine nuclear deformation which can change with increasing rotational frequency. In most cases, however, TRS calculations with a conventional pairing approach (e.g., Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer pairing) encounter a nonconvergence problem when applied to sidebands which are built on broken-pair excited intrinsic configurations. To overcome this problem, we have developed the TRS calculations with a particle-number-conserving pairing method in which the pairing correlation is treated with the merit of the shell model. In this paper, we present the first results of the calculations, focusing on the sidebands of the ${}^{178}$W nucleus, investigating deformation changes and incurred effects on the rotational behaviors of sidebands.

Background: Recent observational data on neutron star masses and radii provide stringent constraints on the equation of state of neutron rich matter [Annu. Rev. Nucl. Part. Sci. 62, 485 (2012)].

Purpose: We aim to develop a nuclear energy density functional that can be simultaneously applied to finite nuclei and neutron stars.

Methods: We use the self-consistent nuclear density functional theory (DFT) with Skyrme energy density functionals and covariance analysis to assess correlations between observables for finite nuclei and neutron stars. In a first step two energy functionals—a high density energy functional giving reasonable neutron properties, and a low density functional fitted to nuclear properties—are matched. In a second step, we optimize a new functional using exactly the same protocol as in earlier studies pertaining to nuclei but now including neutron star data. This allows direct comparisons of performance of the new functional relative to the standard one.

Results: The new functional TOV-min yields results for nuclear bulk properties (energy, rms radius, diffraction radius, and surface thickness) that are of the same quality as those obtained with the established Skyrme functionals, including SV-min. When comparing SV-min and TOV-min, isoscalar nuclear matter indicators vary slightly while isovector properties are changed considerably. We discuss neutron skins, dipole polarizability, separation energies of the heaviest elements, and proton and neutron drip lines. We confirm a correlation between the neutron skin of ${}^{208}$Pb and the neutron star radius.

Conclusions: We demonstrate that standard energy density functionals optimized to nuclear data do not carry information on the expected maximum neutron star mass, and that predictions can only be made within an extremely broad uncertainty band. For atomic nuclei, the new functional TOV-min performs at least as well as the standard nuclear functionals, but it also reproduces expected neutron star data within assumed error bands. This functional is expected to yield more reliable predictions in the region of very neutron rich heavy nuclei.

Background: The prompt gamma-ray spectrum from fission is important for understanding the physics of nuclear fission, and also in applications involving fission. Relatively few measurements of the prompt gamma spectrum from ${}^{239}$Pu($n,f$) have been published.

Purpose: This experiment measured the multiplicity, individual gamma energy spectrum, and total gamma energy spectrum of prompt fission gamma rays from ${}^{239}$Pu($n,f$) in the neutron energy range from thermal to 30 keV, to test models of fission and to provide information for applications.

Method: Gamma rays from neutron-induced fission of ${}^{239}$Pu were measured using the DANCE gamma-ray calorimeter. Fission events were tagged by detecting fission products in a parallel-plate avalanche counter in the center of DANCE. The measurements were corrected for detector response using a geant4 model of DANCE. A detailed analysis for the gamma rays from the 1${}^{+}$ resonance complex at 10.93 eV is presented.

Results: A six-parameter analytical parametrization of the fission gamma-ray spectrum was obtained. A Monte Carlo Hauser-Feshbach calculation provided good general agreement with the data, but some differences remain to be resolved.

Conclusions: An analytic parametrization can be made of the gamma-ray multiplicity, energy distribution, and total-energy distribution for the prompt gamma rays following neutron-induced fission of ${}^{239}$Pu. This parametrization may be useful for applications. Modern Monte Carlo Hauser-Feshbach calculations can do a good job of calculating the fission gamma-ray emission spectrum, although some details remain to be understood.

In the extended Nambu–Jona-Lasinio (NJL) model the total cross sections of the processes $e^{+}{e}^{-}\to [\eta ,{\eta }^{\prime },\eta \left(1295\right),\eta \left(1405\right)]\gamma$ at energies up to 2 GeV are calculated. The intermediate vector mesons $\rho \left(770\right)$, $\omega \left(782\right)$, $\varphi \left(1020\right)$, ${\rho }^{\prime }\left(1450\right)$, ${\omega }^{\prime }\left(1420\right),$ and ${\varphi }^{\prime }\left(1680\right)$ are taken into account. The latter three mesons are treated as the first radial excited states. They are incorporated into the NJL model by means of polynomial form factors. The calculation results are in satisfactory agreement with the experimental data obtained with the SND detector at VEPP-2M, Novosibirsk. The predictions given for the process $e^{+}{e}^{-}\to [{\eta }^{\prime },\eta \left(1295\right),\eta \left(1405\right)]\gamma$ have not been experimentally tested yet.

Extending the relativistic mean field (RMF) models either with higher order couplings or with density-dependent couplings has been proven to be successful in explaining several properties of finite nuclei, infinite matter, and neutron stars (NSs) in a unified way. Here, we compare how these two extensions fare while explaining NSs with and without antikaons. Both these extensions soften the equation of state (EoS), but the higher order couplings are more efficient in doing so. Even for a very soft EoS, we find that there is a strong possibility of antikaons being condensed. We find an exception for correlation between NS radius and density dependence of symmetry energy, which gets restored when we introduce antikaons. The implication of a precisely measured 2$M_{\odot }$ NS on our results is discussed with four sets of interactions which cover all four combinations of stiff and soft symmetry energy and equations of state.

We describe electromagnetic and $\alpha$-decay transitions to low-lying excited states in even-even nuclei within the coherent state model (CSM). We reproduced the energies and $B\left(E2\right)$ values for ground state bands in 40 daughter nuclei with known $\alpha$-branching ratios to $2^{+}$ states. To this purpose we used two parameters, namely the deformation parameter and the strength of the harmonic CSM Hamiltonian. The Hamiltonian describing the $\alpha$-emission process is given by two terms. The first term describes the dynamics of the daughter nucleus. The second $\alpha$-daughter component contains the monopole potential, estimated within the double folding procedure with M3Y interaction plus a repulsive core simulating Pauli principle and a quadrupole-quadrupole (QQ) interaction. The decaying states are identified with the lowest narrow outgoing resonances in this potential. The $\alpha$-branching ratios to $2^{+}$ states were reproduced by using the QQ strength depending linearly on the deformation parameter, as predicted by CSM. The theoretical intensities to $4^{+}$ and $6^{+}$ states are in a reasonable agreement with available experimental data. We found out that the QQ coupling strength is by one order of magnitude larger in the region above ${}^{208}$Pb, where the $\alpha$ clustering is known to be stronger, in comparison to other nuclei. This formalism is able to simultaneously describe electromagnetic and $\alpha$ decays to excited states in spherical, transitional, and well deformed nuclei.

We have studied the nuclear reaction dynamics of few halo nuclei in the framework of the well-known Glauber formalism using relativistic (NL3) and nonrelativistic (SEI-I) densities. We find reasonably good agreement with the experimental data of reaction cross sections. A further careful inspection of the results shows that the SEI-I density reproduces better results as compared to the NL3 results.