Single particle degrees of freedom in the transition from deformed to spherical Nd nuclei

Abstract

The g factors of the 4+1 and 6+1 states in144,148Nd, the 4+1 state in146Nd and the 6+1 , 8+1 , and 10+1 states in150Nd have been measured for the first time by projectile Coulomb excitation coupled to the transient field technique. The g factors of the 2+1 states of144,146,148,150Nd have been remeasured with high precision. The data clearly indicate that, while148,150Nd are well described by collective excitations, the structure of the low lying levels in the lighter isotopes is dominated by the 2f7/2 neutron configuration.