Neutron core excitations in theN=126nuclidePo210

Abstract

Excited states above the 16{sup +} isomer in {sup 210}Po have been identified using time-correlated {gamma}-ray spectroscopy techniques and the {sup 204}Hg({sup 13}C,3n{alpha}){sup 210}Po reaction. States up to {approx}27({Dirac_h}/2{pi}) have been identified, including an isomer at 8074 keV with a mean life of 13(2) ns. Among the new states, a candidate for the 17{sup +} state obtained from maximal coupling of the {pi}[h{sub 9/2}i{sub 13/2}]{sub 11{sup -}} valence proton configuration and the {nu}[p{sub 1/2}{sup -1}i{sub 11/2}]{sub 6{sup -}} neutron core excitation has been identified. This and other results are compared with semiempirical shell-model calculations that predict that single core excitations from the i{sub 13/2} neutron orbital and double core excitations out of the p{sub 1/2} and f{sub 5/2} orbitals, populating the g{sub 9/2},i{sub 11/2}, and j{sub 15/2} orbitals above the N=126 shell, will compete in energy. Good agreement is obtained for the lower states but there are systematic discrepancies at high spins including the absence of states that are calculated to lie low in the spectrum, implying uncertainties for configurations associated either with the i{sub 13/2} neutron hole or double core excitations.