Nuclear Structure Studies of ¹⁹O, ²⁷Mg, and ²⁹Al Using in-Beam γ-Ray Spectroscopy

This dissertation reports the study of three nuclei ¹⁹O, ²⁹Al, and ²⁷Mg at high angular momentum using ɣ-ray spectroscopy. These experiments were performed at the John D. Fox Superconducting Linear Accelerator at Florida State University (FSU). ɣ-radiation and charged particles were detected in coincidence by employing the Compton suppressed FSU ɣ-detector array in conjunction with a silicon ΔE-E particle telescope. The ⁹Be(¹⁴C, ɑɣ) reaction at beam energies of 30 and 35 MeV were used to populate excited levels of ¹⁹O. The data were sorted for α-ɣ and α-ɣ-ɣ coincidences. A total of eight new ɣ transitions and the addition of one new state in ¹⁹O were identified. Six of these ɣ transitions correspond to neutron unbound states. These results are compared to shell model calculations using the USDA, WBP, and PSDU interactions. The neutron unbound ɣ decaying states are best identified with states having higher spin and small spectroscopic factors. Excited levels were populated in ²⁹Al and ²⁷Mg using the reactions ¹⁸O(¹⁴C,p2n) and ¹⁸O(¹⁴C,α n) at 40 MeV. The data were sorted for p-ɣ-ɣ and α-ɣ-ɣ coincidences for ²⁹Al and ²⁷Mg respectively. The level and decay schemes of both nuclei have been expanded with the addition of several new levels and electromagnetic transitions. The results for both nuclei are compared to shell model calculations using the USDA and WBP interactions.