A recent publication describes results obtained by in-beam $\gamma$-ray spectroscopy of excited states of ${}^{92}\mathrm{Rh}$ and concludes, by mainly using extrapolated $Q$ values, that the previously reported direct two-proton decay of ${}^{94}\mathrm{Ag}$ (${21}^{+}$) to ${}^{92}\mathrm{Rh}$ is very difficult to reconcile with the $\gamma$-ray data. We present evidence that this conclusion may be misleading.

We reply to the preceding Comment.

The density and excitation energy dependence of symmetry energy and symmetry free energy for finite nuclei are calculated microscopically in a microcanonical framework, taking into account thermal and expansion effects. A finite-range momentum and density-dependent two-body effective interaction is employed for this purpose. The role of mass, isospin, and equation of state (EOS) on these quantities is also investigated; our calculated results are in consonance with the available experimental data.

We report the first use of a coincidence technique to study neutrinoless double-electron capture ($0\nu$ECEC) to an excited state in the daughter nucleus. We investigated $0\nu$ECEC by ${}^{112}\mathrm{Sn}$ leading to the possibly degenerate 1871 keV excited state in ${}^{112}\mathrm{Cd}$ by searching for its deexcitation $\gamma$ rays of 1253 keV and 618 keV in coincidence. The experiment was performed at ground level. A sample of 3.91 g of tin enriched to 99.5% in ${}^{112}\mathrm{Sn}$ was placed between two high-purity germanium $\gamma$-ray detectors. In order to enhance the sample material, rods of natural tin totaling 1.2 kg (natural abundance 0.97% ${}^{112}\mathrm{Sn}$) surrounded the cylindrical surface of our two $\gamma$-ray detectors. After an exposure of 1.59 kg × days of ${}^{112}\mathrm{Sn}$, no decays were observed. From this null result we determine a lower limit for the half-life time of $T_{1/2}>2.7(1.3)\times {10}^{19}\hspace{0.5em}\mathrm{yr}\hspace{0.5em}(68\%(90\%)\hspace{0.5em}\mathrm{CL})$. We hope to achieve a sensitivity in the ${10}^{23}$ to ${10}^{24}$ yr range with a sample of a few kg of ${}^{112}\mathrm{Sn}$ and improved $\gamma$-ray detectors in an underground facility.

The cross sections of the ${}^{117}\mathrm{Sn}$($\alpha ,\gamma$) ${}^{121}\mathrm{Te}$ and ${}^{117}\mathrm{Sn}$($\alpha ,p$) ${}^{120}\mathrm{Sb}$ reactions have been measured in the effective center of mass energy from 11.5 to 14.6 MeV. Highly enriched self-supporting ${}^{117}\mathrm{Sn}$ (90%) foils were bombarded with an $\alpha$ beam delivered by the Bucharest IFIN-HH tandem accelerator. The induced activity of ${}^{121}\mathrm{Te}$ and ${}^{120}\mathrm{Sb}$ was measured with two large-volume high-purity Ge detectors in close geometry to maximize the detector efficiency. The experimental cross section and astrophysical $S$ factor are compared with statistical model predictions for different global $\alpha$-nucleus optical potentials.

Lifetimes have been deduced in the intermediate/high-spin range for the three known rotational bands in ${}^{73}\mathrm{Kr}$ and the $T=0$ band in ${}^{74}\mathrm{Rb}$ using the residual Doppler shift method. This has enabled relative transition quadrupole moments to be studied for the first time in triaxial nuclei as a function of spin. The data suggest that the additivity principle for transition quadrupole moments is violated, a result that is in disagreement with predictions from cranked Nilsson-Strutinsky and cranked relativistic mean-field theory calculations. The reasons for the discrepancy are not understood but may indicate that important correlations are missing from the models.

The relevant $\gamma$ energy range is explicitly identified where additional $\gamma$ strength must be located to have an impact on astrophysically relevant reactions. It is shown that folding the energy dependences of the transmission coefficients and the level density leads to maximal contributions for $\gamma$ energies of $2⩽E_{\gamma }⩽4$ unless quantum selection rules allow isolated states to contribute. Under this condition, electric dipole transitions dominate. These findings allow us to more accurately judge the relevance of modifications of the $\gamma$ strength for astrophysics.

Angular distributions of the cross section and linear analyzing powers have been measured for the $d(\overrightarrow{\gamma },n)p$ reaction at the High Intensity $\gamma$-ray Source with linearly polarized beams of 14 and 16 MeV. The outgoing neutrons were detected using the Blowfish detector array, consisting of 88 liquid scintillator detectors with large solid angle coverage. The amplitudes of the reduced transition matrix elements were extracted by means of fits to the data and good agreement was found with a recent potential model calculation of the splittings of the triplet $p$-wave amplitudes. The extracted amplitudes are used to reconstruct the Gerasimov-Drell-Hearn sum rule integrand for the deuteron and are compared to theory.

Lifetimes have been measured for transitions in the two multiquasiparticle rotational bands in the nucleus ${}^{136}\mathrm{Nd}$. The extracted transition probabilities are compared with results of tilted-axis cranking and random-phase approximation calculations. The bands are identified as being built on two distinct quasiparticle configurations, with very different associated transition rates. These findings are contrary to an earlier suggestion that the bands form a chiral-band pair in this even-even nucleus.

The low-energy ${}^{12}\mathrm{C}(\alpha ,\gamma ){}^{16}\mathrm{O}$ reaction is analyzed with the potential model. The potentials are chosen from the deep potential describing the $\alpha$-particle nuclear rainbow phenomena at high energies. Below $E_{\mathrm{c}.\mathrm{m}.}=1$ MeV, the cross section is found to be dominated by the $E2$ transition to the ground state of ${}^{16}\mathrm{O}$. No enhancement of the $E1$ component at low energies is predicted. The extrapolated astrophysical $S$-factors at $E_{\mathrm{c}.\mathrm{m}.}=0.3$ MeV are $S_{E2}=150$ keV b and $S_{E1}=3$ keV b.

A formalism based on a chiral quark model ($\chi \mathrm{QM}$) approach complemented with a one-gluon-exchange model, to take into account the breakdown of the $\mathrm{SU}(6)\otimes \mathrm{O}(3)$ symmetry, is presented. The configuration mixing of wave functions for nucleon and resonances are derived. With few adjustable parameters, differential cross-section and polarized-beam asymmetry for the $\gamma p\to \eta p$ process are calculated and successfully compared with the data in the center-of-mass energy range from threshold to 2 GeV. The known resonances $S_{11}(1535),S_{11}(1650),P_{13}(1720),D_{13}(1520)$, and $F_{15}(1680)$, as well as two new $S_{11}$ and $D_{15}$ resonances, are found to be dominant in the reaction mechanism. Moreover, connections among the scattering amplitudes of the $\chi \mathrm{QM}$ approach and the helicity amplitudes, as well as decay widths of resonances, are established. Possible contributions from the so-called missing resonances are investigated and found to be negligible.

A phenomenological Lagrangian approach is employed to study the electromagnetic properties of the deuteron. The deuteron is regarded as a weakly bound state of the proton and neutron. We construct a general form for the electromagnetic one- and two-body transition operators formulated in terms of the nucleon fields, which are then used in the calculation of the electromagnetic deuteron form factors. One of the two-body operators is responsible for explaining the quadrupole moment form factor. We show that in our approach the data on the deuteron form factors as well as on the differential cross section of elastic electron-deuteron scattering are well explained.

A search for the various double-$\beta$ decay modes of ${}^{124}\mathrm{Sn}$ and ${}^{112}\mathrm{Sn}$ has been performed on 75 kg days of data. New half-life limits for excited states in ${}^{124}\mathrm{Sn}$ have been obtained including a lower limit for decay into the first excited $2^{+}$ state of ${}^{124}\mathrm{Te}$ of $T_{1/2}>0.87\times {10}^{20}\hspace{0.5em}\mathrm{yr}$ (90% C.L.) and into the first excited $0^{+}$ state of $T_{1/2}>1.08\times {10}^{20}\hspace{0.5em}\mathrm{yr}$ (90% C.L.). Ground state and excited state transitions of ${}^{112}\mathrm{Sn}$ have also been experimentally explored. A limit for the $2\nu$ EC/EC of $T_{1/2}>1.8\times {10}^{19}\hspace{0.5em}\mathrm{yr}$ (90% C.L.) is obtained. The nonobservation of deexcitation $\gamma$ from the $0^{+}$ at 1888.5 keV results in a lower half-life limit on the $0\nu$ EC/EC decay of ${}^{112}\mathrm{Sn}$ of $T_{1/2}>0.8\times {10}^{19}\mathrm{yr}$ (90% C.L.), despite a possible resonant enhancement of the decay rate due to degenerated states.

The structure of the neutron-rich $N=20$ nucleus ${}^{35}\mathrm{P}$ has been investigated through nucleon transfer experiments using the ${}^{208}\mathrm{Pb}({}^{36},X\gamma )$ reaction at 230 MeV. The level structure, of mainly $1\hslash \omega$ excitations in ${}^{35}\mathrm{P}$, has been significantly expanded. The measurements are compared with shell model calculations. Experimental branching ratio limits are reported for predicted transitions to the $2\hslash \omega$ bandheads in ${}^{35}\mathrm{P}$ and ${}^{34}\mathrm{Si}$.

The ratio of $B(E2)$ strengths between the lowest lying members of the ground state band in ${}^{144}\mathrm{Nd}$, $B_{4/2}=B(E2;4_1^{+}\to 2_1^{+})/B(E2;2_1^{+}\to 0_1^{+})$, which is used to quantify collectivity in nonmagic nuclei, has been remeasured by means of Coulomb excitation. Ambiguities in literature values for this ratio have been resolved. The results are discussed in terms of the interplay of collective and single-particle degrees of freedom, and in the context of the formation of collective structures in the $A=140$ mass region, and more generally near (sub)shell closures. In addition, the $B_{4/2}$ ratio of ${}^{148}\mathrm{Sm}$ has been remeasured, and the quadrupole moment of the $4_1^{+}$ state is found to be on the order of $1\hspace{0.5em}e\hspace{0.5em}b$.

High spin states in ${}^{139}\mathrm{Nd}$ nucleus have been reinvestigated with the reaction ${}^{128}\mathrm{Te}$ (${}^{16}\mathrm{O}$, $5n$) at a beam energy of 90 MeV. The level scheme has been expanded with spin up to $47/2\hslash$. At low spin, the yrast collective structure built on the $\nu h_{11/2}^{-1}$ multiplet shows a triaxial shape with $\gamma \approx {32}^{°}$ according to calculations of the triaxial rotor-plus-particle model. The configurations for some high spin states have been discussed from a systematic comparison with neighboring nuclei. Three collective oblate bands with $\gamma ~-{60}^{°}$ at high spin were identified for the first time. A band crossing is observed around $\hslash \omega ~0.4$ MeV in one oblate band based on the $25/2^{-}$ level. The characteristics for these oblate bands have been discussed.

Angular distributions for the ${}^9\mathrm{Be}({}^8\mathrm{Li},{}^9\mathrm{Be}){}^8\mathrm{Li}$ elastic-transfer reaction have been measured with a 27-MeV ${}^8\mathrm{Li}$ radioactive nuclear beam. Spectroscopic factors for the $\langle {}^9\mathrm{Be}|{}^8\mathrm{Li}+p\rangle$ bound system were obtained from the comparison between the experimental differential cross sections and finite-range distorted-wave Born approximation calculations made with the code FRESCO. The spectroscopic factors so obtained are compared with shell-model calculations and other experimental values. Using the present value for the spectroscopic factors, cross sections and reaction rates for the ${}^8\mathrm{Li}(p,\gamma ){}^9\mathrm{Be}$ direct proton-capture reaction of astrophysical interest were calculated in the framework of the potential model.

The partonic elliptic flow in $\mathrm{Au}+\mathrm{Au}$ collisions at energies currently available at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) ($\sqrt{s_{\mathit{NN}}}=200$ GeV) is analyzed using a multiphase transport (AMPT) model. It is shown that the partons freezing out at the early stage are mainly emitted from the surface of the collision system. The integral elliptic flow of these partons is shown to decrease with time and to be consistent with the surface emission picture. The curve of the differential elliptic flow of partons freezing out at the early stage is flat relative to that of partons freezing out at the late stage. Both integral and differential elliptic flows of partons in the surface emission picture approach saturation for large cross sections.

A $K\overline{K}N$ system with $I=1/2$ and $J^P=1/2^{+}$ is investigated with nonrelativistic three-body calculations by using effective $\overline{K}N,K\overline{K}$, and $\mathit{KN}$ interactions. The $\overline{K}N$ interaction describes the $\Lambda (1405)$ as a $\overline{K}N$ molecule, and the $K\overline{K}$ interaction is adjusted to give $f_0(980)$ and $a_0(980)$ states as $K\overline{K}$ molecules. The present investigation suggests that a bound $K\overline{K}N$ state can be formed below the $K\overline{K}N$ threshold (1930 MeV) with a $90~100$ MeV width of three-hadron decays, which are dominated by $K\overline{K}N\to K\pi \Sigma$ and $\pi \eta N$. The $K\overline{K}N$ state is found to be a weakly bound hadron molecular state with a size larger than an $\alpha$ particle because of the repulsive $\mathit{KN}$ interactions.