First observation of excited states in the neutron deficient N = 86 isotones 159Ta and 160W

The γ decays of excited states in the neutron deficient nuclei 159 Ta and 160 W have been identified for the first time. The nuclei of interest were produced in reactions induced by beams of 58 Ni ions at energies of 286 MeV, 291 MeV, and 298 MeV bombarding a 106 Cd target. Prompt γ rays were recorded using the JUROSPHERE spectrometer and were tagged through the subsequent α decays of associated recoil ions measured in a position-sensitive silicon strip detector at the focal plane of the gas-filled separator RITU. Level schemes have been deduced and compared with similar structures observed in neighboring nuclei.peerReviewe