PRODUCTION, CHEMICAL AND ISOTOPIC-SEPARATION OF THE HF-178M2 HIGH-SPIN ISOMER

The Hf-178m2 With its long-lived (T-1/2 = 31 y), high-spin I-pi = 16(), isomeric state, is a challenge for new and exotic nuclear physics s tudies. The Hf-178m2 isomer has been produced in microweight quantitie s using the Yb-176(alpha,2n) nuclear reaction, by irradiation with a h igh-intensity beam using the U-200 cyclotron in Dubna. Radiochemistry and mass separation methods have been developed, with the aim to separ ate and purify the produced Hf material. Thin targets of isomeric hafn ium-178 on carbon backings have been prepared and used in experiments with neutron, proton and deuteron beams.