International Conference on Nuclear Data for Science and Technology 2007
DOI: 10.1051/ndata:07775

Studies of multi-quasiparticle K-isomers in rare-earth and trans-fermium nuclei

F.G. Kondev¹, G.D. Dracoulis², T.L. Khoo³, G.J. Lane², A.P. Byrne², T. Kibédi², I. Ahmad³, B. Back³, M.P. Carpenter³, R.V.F. Janssens³, T. Lauritsen³, C.J. Lister³, D. Peterson³, D. Seweryniak³, S. Zhu^{1, 3}, P. Chowdhury⁴ and S.K. Tandel<sup>4

1</sup>  Nuclear Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439, USA
²  Department of Nuclear Physics, R.S.Phys.S.E, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia
³  Physics Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439, USA
⁴  Department of Physics, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA 01854, USA

kondev@anl.gov

Published online: 21 May 2008

Abstract
Nuclear K-isomers play an important role in understanding the structure of deformed axially symmetric nuclei. Examples are presented of recent studies in the rare-earth region (A~180) using deep-inelastic and multi-nucleon transfer reactions, and in the trans-fermium region (A~250) using fusion-evaporation reactions. A specific two-level mixing scenario is invoked to explain the unusual decay of the K^π = 13⁺ isomer in ¹⁷⁴Lu. The identification of 2- and 4-quasiparticle isomers in ²⁵⁴No is discussed and predictions of similar isomers in neighboring No and Rf nuclei are presented.

© CEA 2008