High spin states in²⁰⁵Pb and a precision test of the nuclear shell model for three nucleons

Abstract

Using the²⁰⁴Hg(α, 3n) reaction withα-particles of about 40 MeV, we have proved by applying nowadays conventionalγ-ray spectroscopy in-beam technique, that there are two isomeric states in²⁰⁵Pb at the excitation energies 5,161.3 and 3,195.5 keV having the half-lives 71±3 and 217±5 ns, respectively. These isomeric states have spins and parities 33/2⁺ and 25/2⁻ and are mainly due to thei ^2/−3₁₃ andi ^2/−2₁₃ p ^2/−1₁ configurations, respectively. This conclusion is supported by the experimentalg-factors of these states being −0.159±0.008 and −0.0676±0.0011, respectively. It is furthermore shown that theE2 effective neutron charge is the same forE2 transitions from the 33/2⁺ state in²⁰⁵Pb and from the 12⁺ state in²⁰⁶Pb as required by the assumption that the²⁰⁸Pb core is responsible for the totalE2 strength of the neutron holes, and that these states are due to thei ^2/−3₁₃ andi ^2/−2₁₃ configurations. The calculatedB(E3) values ofE3 transitions from isomeric states in²⁰⁵Pb and²⁰⁶Pb agree reasonably well with the experimental values as expected from the assumption that theE3-strength should come from particle coupling to the octupole states of the²⁰⁸Pb core. The energies of the six most well established excited states in²⁰⁵Pb with angular momenta in the region 19/2–33/2 were calculated using empirical single-particle energies, empirical two-particle interactions and angular momentum algebra. The average deviation between experimental and calculated energies is −3 keV and the root mean square deviation 6 keV as compared to the uncertainty ± 5 keV in the nuclear masses used in the calculation. For the orbits concerned the shell model is thus valid with an extremely high precision. The contribution of effective three-particle interaction in these orbits must consequently be less than about 5 keV.