Beta delayed neutron emission of $N=84$ $^{132}$Cd
nucl-ex
/ Authors
M. Madurga, Z. Y. Xu, 1 R. Grzywacz, M. R. Mumpower, A. Andreyev, G. Benzoni, M. J. G. Borge, C. Costache, I. Cox, S. Cupp
and 47 more authors
B. Dimitrov, P. Van Duppen, L. M. Fraile, S. Franchoo, H. Fynbo, B. Gonsalves, A. Gottardo, P. T. Greenless, A. Gross, C. J. Gross, L. J. Harkness-Brennan, M. Hyuse, D. S. Judson, S. Kisyov, K. Kolos, J. Konki, J. Kurzewicz, I. Lazarus, R. Lica, L. Lynch, M. Lund, N. Marginean, R. Marginean, C. Mihai
/ Abstract
Using the time-of-flight technique, we measured the beta-delayed neutron emission of $^{132}$Cd. From our large-scale shell model (LSSM) calculation using the N$^3$LO interaction [Z.Y. Xu et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 131, 022501 (2023)], we suggest the decay is dominated by the transformation of a neutron in the $g_{7/2}$ orbital, deep below the Fermi surface, into a proton in the $g_{9/2}$ orbital. We compare the beta-decay half-lives and neutron branching ratios of nuclei with $Z<50$ and $N\geq82$ obtained with our LSSM with those of leading "global" models such as Finite-Range Droplet Model (FRDM). Our calculations match known half-lives and neutron branching ratios well and suggest that current leading models overestimate the yet-to-be-measured half-lives. Our model, backed by the $^{132}$Cd decay data presented here, offers robust predictive power for nuclei of astrophysical interest such as $r$-process waiting points.