Study of the deformation-driving vd5/2 orbital in 6728Ni39 using one-neutron transfer reactions

Abstract The ν g 9 / 2 , d 5 / 2 , s 1 / 2 orbitals are assumed to be responsible for the swift onset of collectivity observed in the region below 68Ni. Especially the single-particle energies and strengths of these orbitals are of importance. We studied such properties in the nearby 67Ni nucleus, by performing a ( d , p ) -experiment in inverse kinematics employing a post-accelerated radioactive ion beam (RIB) at the REX-ISOLDE facility. The experiment was performed at an energy of 2.95 MeV/u using a combination of the T-REX particle detectors, the Miniball γ-detection array and a newly-developed delayed-correlation technique as to investigate μs-isomers. Angular distributions of the ground state and multiple excited states in 67Ni were obtained and compared with DWBA cross-section calculations, leading to the identification of positive-parity states with substantial ν g 9 / 2 (1007 keV) and ν d 5 / 2 (2207 keV and 3277 keV) single-particle strengths up to an excitation energy of 5.8 MeV. 50% of the ν d 5 / 2 single-particle strength relative to the ν g 9 / 2 -orbital is concentrated in and shared between the first two observed 5 / 2 + levels. A comparison with extended Shell Model calculations and equivalent (3He, d) studies in the region around 9040Zr50 highlights similarities for the strength of the negative-parity pf and positive-parity g 9 / 2 state, but differences are observed for the d 5 / 2 single-particle strength.