Neutron halo of exotic helium isotope (CERN)

Neutron halo of exotic helium isotope (CERN)

2015, Jan 01    

For my BSc in nuclear physics, I helped analyse experimental data from REX-ISOLDE facility at CERN. We investigated a rare 𝛽-decay channel of the exotic 6He isotope into the 𝛼+𝑑 continuum. Studying this decay channel allows us to better constrain the peculiar neutron halo of the 6He nucleus.

The above graphic from our paper presents a CCD image from the optical time-projection chamber (OTPC) 1.

  1. The horizontal component is presented on the left, while the corresponding photomultiplier waveform (vertical component) is shown on the right as a yellow histogram together with the best-fitted SRIM simulation represented by the solid (red) line. The angle θ of the deuteron emission with respect to the horizontal plane is indicated.