[en] The objective of this thesis was to determine the structure of trans-fermium nuclei (Z 100) with odd proton number, which remained largely unexplored. These nuclei were produced in fusion-evaporation reactions with small cross sections below 1 μb. The experimental methods of Recoil-Tagging and Recoil-Decay-Tagging were used for their identification. In order to identify the active orbitals in this mass region, ²⁵⁵Lr, ²⁵¹M1d and ²⁴⁷Es nuclei have been studied by decay spectroscopy at the University of Jyvaskyla and at GANIL with the LISE spectrometer and the α-electron detector BEST coupled to four CLover detectors from the EXOGAM array. New states have been observed in each of the isotopes, and their configuration has been proposed. The collective properties were also studied in two experiments using prompt γ and electron spectroscopy, combining the JUROGAM and SACRED arrays, respectively, with the recoil separator RITU and the GREAT spectrometer at its focal plane. A rotational band has been observed for the first time in a proton-odd trans-fermium nucleus. The interpretation of this collective structure is based on the theoretical HFB calculations. (author)

[en] We report on the first Coulomb excitation experiments of a radioactive beam provided by the SPIRAL facility at GANIL (France) to study the shape of the unstable isotope ⁷⁶Kr. (author)

[en] The SOFIA experiment, which will be held at GSI (Darmstadt (Germany)) will allow to completely determine the mass and charge numbers of fragments produced in the fission reaction of radioactive actinides in reverse kinematics. Therefore, a dedicated setup has been developed for the Time of Flight measurement of relativistic heavy ions. The studies, which led to the choice of the adequate plastic scintillators and photomultipliers, are presented. Tests have been undertaken with the ELSA laser and electron beam facility. They shown that a suitable choice would be EJ-232 plastic scintillator for the ToF wall and EJ-232Q for the start detector and Hamamatsu H6533 and H10580 photomultipliers. This was confirmed by two test experiments realized at GSI with relativistic heavy ion beam (⁵⁶Fe and ²³⁸U), where a time of flight resolution better than 20 ps FWHM was reached. (authors)

[en] A rotational band has been unambiguously observed in an odd-proton transfermium nucleus for the first time. An in-beam γ-ray spectroscopic study of ₁₀₁²⁵¹Md has been performed using the γ-ray array JUROGAM combined with the gas-filled separator RITU and the focal plane device GREAT. The experimental results, compared to Hartree-Fock-Bogolyubov calculations, lead to the interpretation that the rotational band is built on the [521]1/2^- Nilsson state. (authors)

[en] Fission is a unique tool to study nuclear properties. The SOFIA Collaboration takes advantage of the inverse kinematics technique to measure fission yields for a large range of systems, including exotic nuclei. Both fragments are fully identified in charge and mass, a unique feature. The use of Coulomb interaction as fission trigger results in a low excitation energy in the fissioning system, allowing to study the influence of nuclear structure on fission. Using samples of SOFIA results, this paper addresses some open questions about fission such as the evolution of elemental yields with mass and the transition between asymmetric and symmetric fission. (authors)

[en] We developed a time-of-flight measurement system for relativistic heavy ions with a requested resolution of 40 ps Full Width Half Maximum. Such a resolution is mandatory to assign the correct mass number to every fission fragment, identified using the Bρ-ToF-ΔE method with the recoil spectrometer designed for the SOFIA experiment—which hold very recently at GSI. To achieve such a performance, fast plastic scintillators read-out by dedicated photomultiplier tubes were chosen among other possible options. We have led several test-measurements from 2009 to 2011, in order to investigate: the effect of the addition of a quenching molecule in the scintillator's matrix, the influence of the detector's size and the impact of the photomultiplier tube. The contribution of the dedicated electronics is also characterized. Time-of-flight measurements were performed realized with electron pulses and relativistic heavy ions, respectively provided by the LASER driven electron–accelerator (ELSA) at CEA–DAM Ile-de-France and by the SIS18/FRS facility at GSI. The reported results exhibit a time resolution better than 20 ps Full Width Half Maximum reached with the last prototype at GSI with an Uranium beam. These results confirm that the SOFIA experiment should enable the measurement of the relativistic fission fragments' time-of-flight with the requested resolution

[en] The purpose of the SOFIA (Studies On Fission with Aladin) collaboration is to measure important nuclear data like fission yields. The nucleus is accelerated up to relativistic energies and sent on an active target made of lead or uranium. The nucleus gets excitation energy through the Coulomb field of the target which make it fission and the 2 fission fragments are thrown forward because of the high incident energy. The experimental system is able to collect all the fission fragments and is composed of a double ionization chamber, localisation detectors situated before and after deflexion by the big-size Aladin magnet and of a time-of-flight system. This experimental system allows the measurement of 3 parameters for each fission fragment: the energy loss, the time of flight and the trajectory in Aladin, which is enough for the isotopic identification of the 2 fragments. (A.C.)

[en] The inverse kinematics technique, applied to radioactive beams and combined to the Coulomb excitation method, is a powerful tool to study low-energy fission. A novel experimental setup was developed within the R3B/SOFIA (Reactions with Relativistic Radioactive Beams/Studies On FIssion with Aladin) collaboration to identify in mass and atomic numbers both fission fragments in coincidence. These new data provide elemental, isobaric, and isotonic yields for the fission along the thorium isotopic chain. Results are also compared to previous measurements using either the same reaction mechanism or thermal-neutron induced fission. This latter comparison permits to probe the influence of the excitation energy in the fission process. (authors)

[en] Prompt fission neutron spectra in the neutron-induced fission of "2"3"9Pu have been measured for incident neutron energies from 1 to 200 MeV at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center. Mean energies deduced from the prompt fission neutron spectra (PFNS) lead to the observation of the opening of the second chance fission at 7 MeV and to indications for the openings of fission channels of third and fourth chances. Moreover, the general trend of the measured PFNS is well reproduced by the different models. The comparison between data and models presents, however, two discrepancies. First, the prompt neutron mean energy seems constant for neutron energy, at least up to 7 MeV, whereas in the theoretical calculations it is continuously increasing. Second, data disagree with models on the shape of the high energy part of the PFNS, where our data suggest a softer spectrum than the predictions. (authors)

[en] Investigations on neutron-induced fission of actinides and the deuteron breakup are presented. Neutron-induced fission has been studied for 10 years at the WNR (Weapons Neutron Research) neutron facility of the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE). Thanks to this white neutron source the evolution of the prompt fission neutron energy spectra as a function of the incident neutron energy has been characterized in a single experiment up to 200 MeV incident energy. For some isotopes the prompt neutron multiplicity has been extracted. These experimental results demonstrated the effect on the mean neutron energy of the neutron emission before scission for energies higher than the neutron binding energy. This extensive program (²³⁵U and ²³⁸U, ²³⁹Pu, ²³⁷Np and ²³²Th were measured) is completed by neutron spectra measurements on the CEA 4 MV accelerator. The D(n,2n) reaction is studied both theoretically and experimentally. The cross-section was calculated for several nucleon-nucleon interactions including the AV18 interaction. It has also been measured on the CEA 7 MV tandem accelerator at incident neutron energies up to 25 MeV. Uncertainties lower than 8% between 5 and 10 MeV were obtained. In particular these experiments have extended the measured domain for cross sections. (authors)