Direct observation of β and γ decay from a high-spin long-lived isomer in Ta 187

Abstract

Ta187 (Z=73, N=114) is located in the neutron-rich A≈190 region where a prolate-to-oblate shape transition via triaxial softness is predicted to take place. A preceding work on the Kπ=(25/2-) isomer and a rotational band to which the isomer decays carried out by the same collaboration revealed that axial symmetry is slightly violated in this nucleus. This paper focuses on a higher-lying isomer, which was previously identified at 2933(14) keV by mass measurements with the Experimental Storage Ring at GSI. The isomer of interest has been populated by a multinucleon transfer reaction with a Xe136 primary beam incident on a natural tungsten target, using the KEK Isotope Separation System at RIKEN. New experimental findings obtained in the present paper include the internal and external β-decay branches from the high-spin isomer and a revised half-life of 136(24) s. The evaluated hindrances for K-forbidden transitions put constraints on the spin-parity assignment, which can be interpreted as being ascribed to a prolate shape with a five-quasiparticle configuration by model calculations.