Single-particle states at very high spin in the light dysprosium isotopes

Abstract High-spin states in 150–152 Dy have been investigated. Gamma-gamma coincidences in all three isotopes have been studied with Compton-suppressed Ge(Li) detectors. For 151 Dy, lifetimes of the high-spin states have been measured by the recoil-distance technique. The spin and parity assignments, transition rates, and level systematics support the interpretation of the observed states as proton particle-hole excitations coupled to aligned valence neutron configurations. Shell-model calculations, based on effective interactions and a 146 Gd core, quantitatively reproduce the observed level patterns, and the predicted transition rates qualitatively agree with the observed values.