$\alpha$ decay of $^{159}$Re and proton emission from $^{155}$Ta
Résumé
The alpha decay of Re-159 has been observed for the first time in reactions of 300 MeV Ni-58 ions with an isotopically enriched Cd-106 target. The Re-159 ions were separated in-flight using the RITU separator and implanted into the GREAT spectrometer. The alpha decay emanates from the proton-emitting pi h(11/2) state in Re-159 with an energy of E-alpha=6776 +/- 26 keV and a branching ratio of 7.5 +/- 3.5%. This alpha decay populates a state in the closed neutron shell nucleus Ta-155, which decays by emitting 1444 +/- 15 keV protons with a half-life of 2.9(-1.1)(+1.5) ms. These values are consistent with the emission of the proton from a pi h(11/2) orbital. These results fit in with the systematics of proton and alpha-particle separation energies in the region, but disagree with the previously reported decay properties of Ta-155