Particle instability of 53 Cu
Résumé
The most proton-rich particle-stable or quasi-stable copper isotope identified in projectile frag- mentation reactions is 55 Cu. 54 Cu was found unbound a few years ago in such an experiment. The present note reports on a reanalysis of data to determine a life-time limit for 53 Cu. A comparison with data for 52 Ni and 54 Zn combined with EPAX calculations allows to determine a life-time limit of this nucleus of 130 ns which, in a simple barrier penetration model, yields a one-proton separation energy of − 350 keV. This experimental limit is in agreement with a prediction from the latest Atomic Mass Evaluation and with other model predictions.