Level structure of the odd–odd nucleus 54Mn

Abstract

The energy levels of 54Mn were populated by a 145 MeV 20Ne beam incident on a 51V target nucleus. This, difficult to access, N = 29 nucleus was produced by projectile break-up followed by incomplete fusion of an alpha particle. The de-exciting gamma transitions were detected using a multi-clover array: Indian National Gamma Array (INGA). The level structure of 54Mn has been extended up to E* ≅ 5 MeV and Jπ = 15+ with an addition of nine new γ-transitions. The absence of any regular band-like structure in 54Mn indicates the dominance of the single-particle nature of this odd–odd nucleus. The polarization measurements indicate the possibility of a negative-parity level at 1925 keV.