Nuclear Structure of \u3csup\u3e186\u3c/sup\u3eRe

The unstable odd-Z, odd-N isotope 186Re exists in a mid-shell deformed region of the chart of the nuclides where long-lived nuclear isomers are common. 186Re (ground-state half-life T1/2 = 3.7186 d) has an isomer with a half-life of ~2.0 x105 y. The 186mRe isomer is a candidate energy-storage medium for a radioisotope power source of military importance that would operate on the principle of isomer depletion. Data about levels and transitions above the 186mRe isomer, absent from the adopted level scheme for 186Re, are needed to identify a means of depleting the isomer. Four experiments were performed to investigate the 186Re level structure, which involved three different reactions..