On the beta-decay of C-9

In beta -decay experiments on C-9 at CERN/ISOLDE the beta -strength was determined to the ground state, the 12.2 MeV excited state and the Isobaric Analog State (IAS) at 14.655 MeV in B-9. A large beta -strength asymmetry is deduced for the mirror transitions of C-9 and Li-9 to states around 12 MeV excitation energy. A satisfactory description of the three-body decay from a narrow energy region around the 12.2 MeV resonance is obtained within a sequential model involving the ground and first-excited states of Li-5 and Be-8. From the study of angular correlations the spin of the 12.2 MeV state is determined as 5/2(-). For the first time the population of the IAS is observed in beta -decay and new information on the decay of this state is obtained. The advantages of a closely packed. highly segmented detector setup are demonstrated. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved