An experiment to search for new excited states in the proton-rich nucleus \ (^57 Cu\) was performed at the Heavy Ion Laboratory of the University of Warsaw. This nucleus, with one valence proton outside the doubly magic \ (^56 Ni\) core, offers a sensitive test of Shell Model predictions in interplay with collective effects, and its structure is essential for the production of heavier elements in the astrophysical rp-process. A fusion–evaporation reaction was employed using an 85 MeV beam of \ (^32 S\) ions incident on a \ (^28 Si\) target. The emitted \ (\) -rays, neutrons, and light charged particles were detected with the EAGLE, NEDA, and DIAMANT arrays, respectively. No \ (\) -ray lines corresponding to \ (^57 Cu\) could be identified. An upper limit for the \ (^57 Cu\) production cross section was estimated as \ (= 3~ b\). Abstract Published by the Jagiellonian University 2026 authors
Malinowski et al. (Tue,) studied this question.