Isospin Symmetry and Proton Decay: Identification of the 10+ Isomer in 54Ni

The gamma decays from an isomeric 10+ state at 6457 keV in the nucleus 54Ni have been identified using the GSI fragment separator in conjunction with the RISING Ge-detector array. The state is interpreted as the isobaric analog of the 6527-keV 10+ isomer in 54Fe. The results are discussed in terms of isospin-dependent shell-model calculations. Clear evidence is presented for a discrete l = 5 proton decay branch into the first excited 9/2- state of the daughter 53Co. This decay is the first of its kind observed following projectile fragmentation reactions.