In-beam conversion-electron spectroscopy of 180Hg

Excited states in 180Hg were populated using the 147Sm(36Ar,3n)180Hg reaction and studied by in-beam conversion-electron spectroscopy. Conversion electrons emitted at the target position were measured using the Silicon Array for Conversion Electron Detection (SACRED) spectrometer and tagged through the characteristic α decays of 180Hg detected in a position-sensitive silicon strip detector located at the focal plane of the gas-filled recoil separator Recoil Ion Transport Unit (RITU). Electron conversion of transitions previously assigned to 180Hg through in-beam γ-ray spectroscopy studies was identified up to the 10+ → 8+ transition and the intensities of the conversion-electron transitions were found to be consistent with the previous multipolarity assignments. Evidence was also found for two highly converted transitions in 180Hg: a 167 keV transition is interpreted as the transition from the newly identified second 2+ state at 601 keV to the first 2+ state at 434 keV, while a 420 keV transition is assigned as the E0 decay from the 0+ bandhead of the prolate-deformed configuration to the weakly deformed ground state.status: publishe