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Description
Fine structure has been studied on the region of the Isoscalar Giant Quadrupole Resonance (ISGQR), for stable even-even nuclei of neodymium isotopes. The 200 MeV proton beams were delivered by the Separated Sector Cyclotron (SSC) facility of iThemba LABS. Measurements were made using the state-of-the-art K600 magnetic spectrometer, where unique high energy-resolution ($\Delta$E ≈ 42 - 48 keV FWHM) proton inelastic scattering results were obtained on spherical to deformed $^{142}$Nd, $^{144}$Nd, $^{146}$Nd, $^{148}$Nd and $^{150}$Nd target nuclei. In order to emphasize the ISGQR in the measured excitation energy spectra, a Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) background subtraction was carried out. A comparison of the resonance widths extracted shows a systematic broadening of the ISGQR ($\Gamma$ = 3.220 MeV to 5.100 MeV), moving from spherical $^{142}$Nd to highly deformed $^{150}$Nd nuclei. Theoretical microscopic Quasiparticle-Phonon Model (QPM) calculations were performed for the ISGQR predictions. Characteristic energy scales, extracted using the Continuous Wavelet Transform (CWT) technique, allowed a comparison to be made between the experimental data and theoretical predictions in order to determine the dominant damping mechanisms.
