A Novel Method for Measuring β-Delayed Neutron Emission

Beta-delayed single- and multi-neutron emission probabilities play an important role in the nucleosynthesis rapid neutron capture process (r-process), extension of nuclear models far from stability, and the operation of nuclear reactors. Nevertheless, measured values of these important properties of neutron-rich exotic isotopes are among the scarcest in nuclear data bases. This is mainly because current measurement methods require large arrays of neutron detectors that are prone to irreducible background, and a nuclear model dependent analysis.

I will describe a new measurement method that we proposed in collaboration with the FRS Ion Catcher group at GSI. The method is based on direct measurement of the decay recoils, circumventing practically all shortcomings of existing efforts. An experiment to demonstrate the method and provide first results will be carried out later this year at GSI.