Author:

Keywords:

Science & Technology, Physical Sciences, Physics, Nuclear, Physics, NEUTRON-RICH NUCLEI, DECAY, RATES, 0202 Atomic, Molecular, Nuclear, Particle and Plasma Physics, Nuclear & Particles Physics, 5106 Nuclear and plasma physics

Abstract:

The lifetime of the 0+3 state in 66Ni, two neutrons below the N=40 subshell gap, has been measured. The transition B(E2;0+3→2+1) is one of the most hindered E2 transitions in the Ni isotopic chain and it implies that, unlike 68Ni, there is a spherical structure at low excitation energy. We have performed extensive shell-model calculations that correctly predict this result, obtaining a spherical 0+ state at the correct energy and with an extremely low B(E2;0+3→2+1) value.