In-Beam Spectroscopy of the Extremely Neutron Deficient Nuclei 169Ir and 110Xe

Abstract: This thesis describes new results obtained from experimental studies of the extremely neutron-deficient isotopes 169Ir and 110Xe, close to the proton drip-line. The experiments use state-of-the-art equipment for nuclear spectroscopy where a large high-resolution Germanium-detector array is coupled to a high-transmission recoil separator and using the highly selective recoil-decay tagging technique. The work is based on two experiments performed at the Accelerator Laboratory of the University of Jyväskylä, Finland. The experimental techniques used are described as are the experimental set-ups. Comparison between experimental results and theoretical predictions are made. The thesis also briefly summarises the theoretical models employed to interpret the experimental results. The results for 169Ir point to a rotational-like behaviour of a moderately deformed nucleus exhibiting triaxial shape. The experimental results do not fully agree with theoretical predictions for the shape evolution of the neutron-deficient iridium isotopes, approaching the proton drip-line. The results for 110Xe indicate an emergence of enhanced collectivity near the N=Z line in the region of the nuclear chart above 100Sn. These findings are interpreted as a possible effect of increased neutron-proton isoscalar pair correlations, a residual interaction effect not accounted for in present-day nuclear models.