Abstract
Fast neutron-induced depopulation of the isomer to the ground state was detected by activation techniques. Natural Ta foils together with a monitoring target were activated using the neutron flux produced from a 7.3 MeV electron beam by a special choice of converters and shields. The x-ray line (54.6 keV) of Hf was successfully observed in the -ray spectrum from activated Ta and attributed to the decay of The yields of three reactions and were measured in the same conditions and compared. Finally, the mean probability for depopulation after MeV neutron scattering was deduced to approach about 0.4. This establishes almost complete K mixing above the neutron binding energy.
- Received 19 August 1998
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.59.755
©1999 American Physical Society