beta-delayed particle decay of C-9 and the A=9, T=1/2 nuclear system: Experiment, data, and phenomenological analysis - art. no. 064310

The beta decay of C-9 (T-1/2=126.5 ms) has been studied in two experiments observing about 15x10(7) and 8x10(7) decays, respectively, at the TISOL fac ility at TRIUMF; different detector configurations were employed in the two experiments. In this first of two papers, the two experimental setups are described, as well as data analysis and a phenomenological approach to dedu cing branching ratios to and from states in B-9. In the experiments single spectra, and double and triple coincidence spectra, were recorded. Several states in B-9 were observed; beta-branching ratios to these states, and par ticle decay channels from these states, are reported. In particular, second ary decays into the Li-5 and Be-8 ground states were observed. With the inc lusion of a considerable continuum and additional states, fair agreement wi th the reported Li-9 logft values is found with a phenomenological approach for deducing the branching ratios. To extend the discussion, in a second, forthcoming paper, a multichannel, multistate R-matrix analysis of these da ta will be described.