Probing the j dependence of angular distributions and N = 20 shell rigidity via the S 36 ( p , d ) S 35 reaction
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: An investigation of the N = 20 36 S nucleus has been performed through a detailed study of the 36 S(p, d) 35 S neutron-removal reaction, employing a 66 MeV proton beam at iThemba LABS and an innovative target design.Using the high-resolution K=600 magnetic spectrometer, 98 states in 35 S were identified up to 16 MeV excitation energy, including 47 previously unobserved states.Angular distributions and spectroscopic factors, including isobaric analog state contributions, were extracted for 81 levels.A pronounced j-dependence in the angular distributions of ℓ = 2 states provides refined insights into the spin-orbit splitting.Finite-range adiabatic distorted wave approximation calculations qualitatively reproduce the observed j-dependence.Comparisons of the measured 1d 5/2 spectroscopic strength distribution with large-scale shell-model and ab-initio calculations show good agreement overall, and the robustness of the N = 20 shell closure in 36 S is confirmed when comparing the relatively low f p orbital occupancies in 40 Ca and 36 S across the Fermi surface.This study underscores the utility of neutron-removal reactions in probing nuclear structure and the Fermi surface of sd nuclei and beyond.The findings advance our understanding of shell evolution and offer constraining data for theoretical models.
Source: Physical Review C
DOI: 10.1103/hrd3-246d
Authors: S. Jongile, M. Wiedeking, O. Sorlin, R. Neveling, C. Hebborn, N. Keeley, F. Nowacki, V. Somà, A. Lemasson, P. Papka, P. Adsley, A. A. Avaa, F. Azaiez, L. M. Donaldson, F. Flavigny, H. Jivan, P. Jones, D. Kenfack, N. Y. Kheswa, T. C. Khumalo, L. Makhathini, K. L. Malatji, S. H. Mthembu, F. Nemulodi, A. A. Netshiya, L. Pellegri, F. D. Smit
Institutions: Stellenbosch University, iThemba Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, University of the Witwatersrand, Grand Accélérateur National d'Ions Lourds, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université Paris-Saclay, Laboratoire de Physique des 2 Infinis Irène Joliot-Curie, Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, Michigan State University, National Centre for Nuclear Research, Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, Université de Strasbourg, Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives, Institut de Recherche sur les Lois Fondamentales de l'Univers, Texas A&M University, École Nationale Supérieure d'Ingénieurs de Caen, Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules, Université de Caen Normandie, University of the Western Cape, Walter Sisulu University
Language: English
Subfield: Nuclear and High Energy Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7123585433