No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

The experimental γ -ray strength functions (γ SFs) of 142,[144][145][146][147][148][149][150][151] Nd have been studied for γ -ray energies up to the neutron separation energy using the Oslo method. The results represent a unique set of γ SFs for an isotopic chain with increasing nuclear deformation. The data reveal how the low-energy enhancement, the scissors mode, and the pygmy dipole resonance evolve with nuclear deformation and mass number. This indicates that the mechanisms behind the low-energy enhancement and the scissors mode are decoupled from each other.

The nuclear level densities (NLDs) and the γ -ray strength functions (γ SFs) of 153,155 Sm have been extracted from (d, pγ ) coincidences using the Oslo method. The experimental NLD of 153 Sm is higher than the NLD of 155 Sm, in accordance with microscopic calculations. The γ SFs of 153,155 Sm are in fair agreement with QRPA calculations based on the D1M Gogny interaction. An enhancement is observed in the γ SF for both 153,155 Sm nuclei around 3 MeV in excitation energy and is attributed to the M1 scissors resonance (SR). Their integrated strengths were found to be in the range 1.3-2.1 and 4.4-6.4 μ 2 N for 153 Sm and 155 Sm, respectively. The strength of the SR for 155 Sm is comparable to those for deformed even-even Sm isotopes from nuclear resonance fluorescence measurements, while that of 153 Sm is lower than expected.