University Microfilms, Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan NUCLEAR ENERGY LEVEL SCHEMES and SYSTEMAT1CS
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This dissertation has been 61-5133 microfilmed exactly as received WILSON, Robert Gray, 1934- NUCLEAR ENERGY LEVEL SCHEMES AND SYSTEMATICS IN THE HEAVY RARE-EARTH REGION. The Ohio State University, Ph.D., 1961 Physics, nuclear University Microfilms, Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan NUCLEAR ENERGY LEVEL SCHEMES AND SYSTEMAT1CS IN THE HEAVY RARE-EARTH REGION DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By ROBERT GRAY WILSON, B.Sc. The Ohio State University 1961 Approved by S ) 2 . L A d v ise ^ Department of Physics and A stronom y ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to acknowledge the experienced guidance of my adviser, Professor M. L. Pool, in the execution of this work. Appreciation is expressed to Mr. R. P. Sullivan for his assistance in the electronic phases of this research. Thanks are due to my associate, Mr. G. G. Staehle, for his congenial collaboration on one of the publications and his major share in another of which he is the senior author. TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................. 1 II. SUMMARIES OF PUBLICATIONS ...........................................2 in. APPENDIXES .................................................................................. 14 IV. BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................. 5 3 V. AUTOBIOGRAPHY .................................................................... iii ILLUSTRATIONS Publication* Page Figure Caption 164 1 1827 1 Half-life decay curves for Tm . 1 1828 2 Gamma-ray spectrum of Tm ^^, 1 1828 3 Energy level scheme for the decay of Tm ^^, 162 1 1828 4 Energy level scheme for the decay of Tm . 2 1 Low energy gamma-ray spectrum of Yb*^. 2 2 Hi energy gamma-ray spectrum of Yb*^. 165 2 3 Yb coincidence spectra. 165 2 4 Energy level scheme for Er . „ 165 2 5 Gamma-ray spectrum of Tm t. 165 . ^ 2 6 Tm coincidence spectra. 3 263 1 Gamma-ray spectrum of Tm ^^. 166 3 264 2 Tm coincidence spectra. 3 265 3 Energy level scheme for the decay of Tm ^^. 168 4 1 Gamma-ray spectrum of Tm ™ 168 4 2 Tm coincidence spectra, 168 4 3 Energy level scheme for the decay of Tm . 167 5 1296 1 Gamma-ray spectrum of Yb 167 5 1297 2 Energy level scheme for the decay of Yb 168 6 227 1 Energy level scheme for the decay of Lu . r The publications are listed in Appendix 1. IV P age F ig u re C aption 170 7 9 8 1 1 Gamma-ray spectrum of Lu . 170 7 9 8 2 2 Energy level scheme for the decay 8 1844 1 Gamma-ray spectrum of Lu*^*. 171 8 1845 2 Coincidence spectrum of Lu 171 8 1845 3 Coincidence specrta of Lu 171 8 1846 4 Energy level scheme for the decay i 8 1848 5 Energy level scheme for the decay 169 172 9 1068 1 Half-life decay curve for Lu 172 9 1068 2 Gamma-ray spectrum of Lu 172 9 1069 3 Coincidence spectra for Lu 172 9 1070 4 Energy level scheme for the decay 10 808 1 Gamma-ray spectrum of Lu*^. 173 10 809 2 Energy level scheme for the decay 174 11 517 1 Gamma-ray spectrum of Lu 174 11 518 2 Energy level scheme for the decay v TABLES ic P age T able C aption 1 1827 1 Composition of enriched erbium samples 1 1828 2 Internal conversion coefficient data 165 2 1 Data concerning transitions in Er 165 2 2 Coincidence information for Tm 165 2 3 Data concerning energy levels in Er _ 166 3 263 1 Data concerning transitions in Er 3 264 2 Internal conversion data for erbium 3 265 3 Coincidence information for Tm ^^ t_ . „ 168 4 1 Data concerning transitions in Er 4 2 Coincidence information for Tm ^^ 5 1296 1 Coincidence information for Yb*^ 167 5 1297 2 Data concerning transitions in Tm 7 981 1 Coincidence information for Lu*^ 171 8 1844 1 Data concerning transitions in Yb 8 1845 2 Coincidence information for Lu*^* 8 1847 3 Internal conversion data for ytterbium 1 6 9 8 1849 4 Data concerning transitions in Yb 8 1849 5 Energy ratios for rotational bands 172 9 1068 1 Data concerning transitions in Yb vi Publication Page Table Caption 9 1068 2 Internal conversion data for ytterbium 172 9 1069 3 Coincidence information for Lu 173 1 0 808 1 Coincidence information for L>u 173 1 0 809 2 Data concerning transitions in Yb INTRODUCTION Thirty radionuclides of erbium ( 6 8 ), thulium (69)» ytterbium (70), lutetium (71), and hafnium (72) with half-lives between two minutes and 600 days have been produced and studied prim arily by gamma-ray scintillation and gamma-gamma coincidence techniques. Samples of heavy rare-earth oxides enriched in the stable mass numbers were irradiated with 6 -Mev protons, 17- and 24-Mev helium nuclei, and thermal neutrons. Approximately 130 irradiations were performed and about twice as many samples prepared and examined in a period of two and one-half years. Among the thirty activities 162 examined, four are previously unreported, ^^Tm (77 minutes), ^T m ^^ (2. 0 minutes), ^Y b*^ (9. 3 minutes), and ^L u*^ (7.1 minutes); and two previously reported, were shown not to exist, 171 172 ^jLu (600 days) and yjku (4*0 hours). The goal of this research was the construction of energy level schemes for the decays of these radionuclides and their daughter nuclei and an interpretation of the observed systematics. The experimental results of this work and the interpretations are reported in eleven publications in The Physical Review and the Bulletin of the American Physical Society in I960 and 1961. 1 SUMMARIES OF PUBLICATIONS 162 Tm Erbium oxide enriched to 35.1 percent in the mass number 162 was irra d ia te d with 6 -Mev protons. A previously unreported activity decaying by electron capture with a half-life of 77 minutes 162 was produced and assigned to Tm . The observed radiations were the erbium K x ray and gamma rays of 102 and 236 kev. All 162 three of these radiations are in coincidence. Energy levels in Er are assigned at 0 (0+), 102 (2+), and 338 (4+) kev,and the ground 162 state of Tm is tentatively assigned a spin of 3-. Electron capture branches occur to the 102-kev level (87%) and the 338-kev level (13%). The occurrence of some positron decay could not be ruled out because of the existence of the 1 1 2 -minute positron activity 18 of F .A search for other electromagnetic radiation between 0 and 3000 kev yielded negative results. Erbium oxide enriched to 14. 1 percent in the mass number 164 was irradiated with 6 -Mev protons. A previously unreported activity decaying by both electron capture and positron emission with a half-life of 2. 04 minutes was produced and assigned to Tm ^^, The observed radiations were the erbium K x ray, annihilation radiation, a 2.9-Mev positron, and a 91 -kev gamma ray. No other gamma rays with energies between 0 and 3000 kev were detected. The half-life of this activity precluded coincidence measurements. Although the 2. 9-Mev positron requires that the decay energy 164 164 of Tm is at least 3.9 Mev, only one excited state in Er (04) is indicated by these observations and occurs at 91 kev (2+). The relative intensities of the radiations imply that electron-positron 164 decay branches occur to the ground state of Er (57%) and to the 91-kev level (43%). This situation suggests that there may be two positrons of energies differing by 9 1 kev in the particle radiation spectrum. A coincidence measurement is being planned in order to attempt to prove or disprove this postulate. The best assignment of spin for Tm ^^ is 1 + with even parity favored by the short half- life. _ 165 Tm Thulium 165 (29 hours) was studied following the decay of 165 Yb (9. 3 minutes) which was produced by the irradiation of erbium oxide enriched in the mass number 162 with 24-Mev helium nuclei. The complex gamma ray spectrum was analyzed with the aid of a previously reported analysis of the conversion electron spectrum by other workers. Gamma-gamma coincidence measurements were performed and used to aid in the construction of a complicated energy level scheme for erbium 165 with twenty levels at 0 (5/2-), 47.2 (5/2+), 77.2 (7/2-), 117. 8 (7/2+), 243.3 (3/2-), 296. 5 (5/2-), 297. 8 (1/2-), 356. 9 (3/2-), 384. 7 (5/2-), 507. 5 (3/2+), 564. 2 (5/2-), 574. 3 (7/2+), 589.8 (5/2+), 608.7 (7/2-), 664. 2 (3/2-), 699. 3 (3/2+), 854. 7 (1/2+), 1051. 3, 1250. 6 , and 1428. 8 (3/2-) kev. This energy level scheme accounts for 63 transitions following the decay of 165 Tm , the strongest of which are 47. 2 (20. 6 %), 54. 5 (26. 1%), 77. 2 (7. 2%), 243. 3 (41%), 297. 8 (15. 5%), and 807. 4 ( 8 . 0% ). The primary electron capture branches occur to the levels at 243. 3 (5.5%), 297.8 (42.5%), 356.9 (11. 1%), 854.7 (13.0%), and 1428.88 (7. 2%) kev. The evidence strongly favors a spin assignment of l / 2 + for Tm^^, T m 1 6 6 Erbium oxide enriched to 72. 9 percent in the mass number 166 was irradiated with 6 -Mev protons,and an activity decaying by electron capture and a small amount of positron emission with a half-life of 6 . 6 9 hours was produced and its assignment to confirmed.