Neutron-proton pairing in the N=Z radioactive fp-shell nuclei 56Ni and 52Fe probed by pair transfer

TL;DR

This study probes neutron-proton pairing in N=Z fp-shell nuclei using two-nucleon transfer reactions with radioactive beams, revealing superfluid behavior in the isovector channel but no evidence for isoscalar condensates.

Contribution

First experimental investigation of neutron-proton pairing components in extit{fp}-shell nuclei using radioactive beams and transfer reactions, comparing results with DWBA calculations.

Findings

Enhanced ground-state to ground-state transfer near mid-shell indicates superfluidity.

Very low cross-sections for certain states suggest strong spin-orbit hindrance.

No evidence found for isoscalar deuteron-like condensate.

Abstract

The isovector and isoscalar components of neutron-proton pairing are investigated in the N=Z unstable nuclei of the \textit{fp}-shell through the two-nucleon transfer reaction (p,$^3$He) in inverse kinematics. The combination of particle and gamma-ray detection with radioactive beams of $^{56}$Ni and $^{52}$Fe, produced by fragmentation at the GANIL/LISE facility, made it possible to carry out this study for the first time in a closed and an open-shell nucleus in the \textit{fp}-shell. The transfer cross-sections for ground-state to ground-state (J=0$^+$,T=1) and to the first (J=1$^+$,T=0) state were extracted for both cases together with the transfer cross-section ratios $\sigma$(0$^+$,T=1) /$\sigma$(1$^+$,T=0). They are compared with second-order distorted-wave born approximation (DWBA) calculations. The enhancement of the ground-state to ground-state pair transfer cross-section close to mid-shell, in $^{52}$Fe, points towards a superfluid phase in the isovector channel. For the "deuteron-like" transfer, very low cross-sections to the first (J=1$^+$,T=0) state were observed both for \Ni\phe\, and \Fe\phe\, and are related to a strong hindrance of this channel due to spin-orbit effect. No evidence for an isoscalar deuteron-like condensate is observed.