Average magnetic moments as well as information on the time evolution of the continuum structure of Dy152 at high spin have been obtained using the transient hyperfine magnetic field acting on fast ions traversing a thin, magnetized gadolinium foil. Dy152 nuclei were populated by the Ge76(80Se,4n)152Dy fusion-evaporation reaction at E(80Se)=326.5 MeV. The target-ferromagnet arrangement corresponds to a time window of about 701200 keV, rays contributing to the collective E2 bump, exhibit a negligible precession, in accordance with the very short lifetimes of these states. The precession of the angular distribution of discrete yrast rays deexciting the nucleus from spin I35Latin small letter h with stroke down yields an average magnetic moment for states with 43Latin small letter h with strokeI31Latin small letter h with stroke. The resulting g=0.21(2) is considerably lower than the collective value Z/A0.43 and indicates an appreciable contribution from aligned neutrons to the lower-spin region populated within the above time frame. The results are discussed in the framework of model calculations of the -ray cascade
