Study of high K isomers and shape coexistence in sup 1 sup 8 sup 8 Pb Nuclei; Germanium detector; RITU; JUROSPHERE

An experiment was designed to produce sup 1 sup 8 sup 8 Pb nuclei using the sup 1 sup 5 sup 0 Sm( sup 4 sup 2 Ca,4n) sup 1 sup 8 sup 8 Pb reaction at an energy of 200 MeV. It was performed at the University of Jyvaeskylae, Finland, using the gas-filled recoil separator RITU with JUROSPHERE at the target position and an array of quadrant detectors around the implantation strip detector. There was also the GSI Super Clover germanium detector at the focal plane with its 4 crystals being treated as individual spectrometers. Using a prompt-delayed coincidence technique the gamma rays above a 1.2 mu s isomer can be elucidated by tagging on the subsequently delayed transitions. Transitions above this isomer have been discovered for the first time and a tentative decay scheme has been constructed. From gamma-ray intensities, (g sub K -g sub R)/Q sub 0 ratios have been calculated for this isomer and it has been allocated a nu left brace 9/2 sup + [624] x 7/2 sup - [514]right brace configuration with a spin and parity assignment of 8 sup -. A new non-yrast lower-deformation band has also been discovered