Resonance conditions for ~(93m)Mo isomer depletion via nuclear excitation by electron capture in a beam-based scenario

摘要

We present here a comprehensive analysis to understand the optimal atomic conditions for the first experimental observation of nuclear excitation by electron capture (NEEC) for the 6.85 h ~(93m)Mo isomer with spin parity 21/2~+. The NEEC process would provide an excitation from the long-lived isomer to a depletion level with spin parity 17/2~+, which lies only 4.85 keV higher in energy, and is itself a shorter-lived isomer that subsequently decays, releasing a substantial amount of stored energy (2429.8 keV). The depletion level decays to a 13/2~+ state through a 267.9-keV transition that offers the opportunity for identification of NEEC because it does not occur in the natural decay of the long-lived isomer. It has been shown that, for the proposed approach, high-precision atomic predictions are essential to understanding the proper physical conditions under which the experimental observation of the NEEC process will be possible using a beam-based scenario.