Precise measurement of gamma-ray energies and gamma-ray emission probabilities in178m2Hf decay

Nowadays large interest is attached to the production of exotic beams and targets for nuclear structure and reaction studies. The nucleus178Hf, with is long-lived (T1/2=31 years) high-spin isomeric statelπ=16+ at a relatively low-excitation energy (2.446 MeV), is indeed a unique probe for studying phenomena in a new way. A wide research program has been underway in the framework of the “Hafnium Collaboration” which now concems around 80 scientists. Various targets have been prepared and adapted to different types of experiments. Irradiation processes with high-intensity beams, high-purity chemistry methods and isotopic separations have been developed. The obtaining of appreciable amounts of very high purity178m2Hf by isotopic separation, has made it possible for us to carry out γ-ray measurements with good statistics and high energy resolution with a γ-spectrometer, in order to use this isomer as a calibration standard in the 200 to 600 ke V energy range. For example, relative to the main γ-rays, energies have been determined with an absolute uncertainty of about 2 e V and photon emission probabilities with a relative uncertainty better than 1%.