Total absorption $\gamma$-ray spectroscopy of niobium isomers

Understand

The $\beta$ intensity distributions of the decays of $^{100\text{gs},100\text{m}}$Nb and $^{102\text{gs},102\text{m}}$Nb have been determined using the Total Absorption $\gamma$-Ray Spectroscopy technique.

• The JYFLTRAP double Penning trap system was employed to disentangle the isomeric states involved, lying very close in energy, in a campaign of challenging measurements performed with the Decay Total Absorption $\gamma$-ray Spectrometer at the Ion Guide Isotope Separator On-Line facility in Jyv\"askyl\"a.
• The low-spin isomeric state of each niobium case was populated through the decay of the zirconium parent, that was treated as a contaminant.
• We have applied a method to extract this contamination, and additionally we have obtained $\beta$ intensity distributions for these zirconium decays.