Lifetime measurements of microsecond isomers in the N=48 nuclei 88Zr and90Mo using recoil-isomer tagging

Abstract

The recoil-isomer tagging technique has been used to study the isomeric states of nuclei in the vicinity of the N=50 shell closure. The nuclei of interest were separated from the projectilelike nuclei and other evaporation residues and transported to the focal plane of a recoil separator. The decay of the tagged isomer was studied at the focal plane using a high-purity Ge detector. The prompt transitions feeding the isomer were detected in an array of Clover Ge detectors placed around the target. The measured half-lives of the 8+ isomers in 88Zr and 90Mo are 1.41 (-0.09)(+0.12) μs and 1.17(-0.07) (+0.19), respectively. The corresponding transition probabilities are in reasonable agreement with the predictions of shell model calculations. The systematics of effective charges (ep and en) for N=48 nuclei are qualitatively understood in these calculations.