Investigating Isomer Release in 121Sb Through Low-Energy Coulomb Excitation

Abstract

Long-lived nuclear excited states known as isomers have been identified as a potential method of energy storage. The atomic nuclei would store energy while suspended in the isomer, which is then de-populated to release the energy for use. A release mechanism is needed to depopulate the isomer on demand. One potential mechanism is Coulomb excitation. This thesis reports on an experiment to verify the assumptions of Coulomb excitation at low excitation energies. Coulomb-excitation measurements of the low-lying excited states of 121Sb have been made to determine the B(E2) values of the low-energy transitions and compare them to literature. The mean lifetimes of the excited states have also been calculated from the measured transition strengths. The present B(E2) values vary in their agreement, with some values agreeing within uncertainty of the literature values and others being in disagreement with the literature. Most of the calculated mean lifetimes deviated from the literature values. The results show promise but further constraining of the data would improve the accuracy of the results.