6533b854fe1ef96bd12ae7cc

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Identification of Excited States in theTz=1NucleusXe110: Evidence for Enhanced Collectivity near theN=Z=50Double Shell Closure

subject

description

Gamma-ray transitions have been identified for the first time in the extremely neutron-deficient (N=Z+2) nucleus {sup 110}Xe, and the energies of the three lowest excited states in the ground-state band have been deduced. The results establish a breaking of the normal trend of increasing first excited 2{sup +} and 4{sup +} level energies as a function of the decreasing neutron number as the N=50 major shell gap is approached for the neutron-deficient Xe isotopes. This unusual feature is suggested to be an effect of enhanced collectivity, possibly arising from isoscalar n-p interactions becoming increasingly important close to the N=Z line.