Octupole and hexadecapole bands in¹⁵²Sm

Abstract

The nucleus {sup 152}Sm is characterized by a variety of low-energy collective modes, conventionally described as rotations, {beta} vibrations, and {gamma} vibrations. Recently, it has been suggested that {sup 152}Sm is at a critical point between spherical and deformed collective phases. Consequently, {sup 152}Sm is being studied by a variety of techniques, including radioactive decay, multi-step Coulomb excitation, in-beam ({alpha},2n{gamma}) {gamma}-ray spectroscopy, and (n,n'{gamma}) spectroscopy. The present work focuses on the latter two reactions; these have been used to investigate the low-lying bands associated with the octupole degree of freedom, including one built on the first excited 0{sup +} band. In addition, the K{sup {pi}} = 4{sup +} hexadecapole vibrational band has been identified.