Particle decays of levels in N 11 , 12 and O 12 investigated with the invariant-mass method
Particle-decaying states of the light nuclei 11,12 N and 12 O were studied using the invariant-mass method. The decay energies and intrinsic widths of a number of states were measured, and the momentum correlations of three-body decaying states were considered. A second $2p$-decaying 2 + state of 12 O was observed for the first time, and a higher-energy 12 O state was observed in the 4$p$+2α decay channel. This 4$p$+2α channel also contains contributions from fissionlike decay paths, including 6 Beg.s.+6Be g.s. . Analogs to these states in 12 O were found in 12 N in the 2$p$+ 10 B and 2$p$+α+ 6 Li channels. The momentum correlations for the prompt 2$p$ decay of 12 O g.s. were found to be nearly identical to those of 16 Ne g.s. , and the correlations for the new 2 + state were found to be consistent with sequential decay through excited states in 11 N. The momentum correlations for the 2$^+_1$ state in 12 O provide a new value for the 11 N ground-state energy. Finally, the states in 12 N/ 12 O that belong to the A=12 isobaric sextet do not deviate from the quadratic isobaric multiplet mass equation form