The Decay of 160Eu

Abstract

A spectroscopic study of the decay of 160Eu to the levels of 160Gd was performed with sources produced from the (n, p) reaction on both enriched and natural gadolinium targets. Employing both β and γ spectrometers, singly and in coincidence, a decay scheme is proposed with 8 levels in 160Gd populated up to an energy of 1997 keV. The half-life was measured to be 50 ± 10 s with a Qβ- deduced to be 3.9 ± 0.3 MeV. A second, unidentified component was observed with a half-life of 8.0 ± 1 min, along with 7 γ rays. The possibility of a two-proton quasiparticle state in 160Gd is discussed.