Single-neutron orbits near 78Ni: Spectroscopy of the N = 49 isotope 79Zn

Abstract Single-neutron states in the Z = 30 , N = 49 isotope 79 Zn have been populated using the 78 Zn(d, p) 79 Zn transfer reaction at REX-ISOLDE, CERN. The experimental setup allowed the combined detection of protons ejected in the reaction, and of γ rays emitted by 79 Zn. The analysis reveals that the lowest excited states populated in the reaction lie at approximately 1 MeV of excitation, and involve neutron orbits above the N = 50 shell gap. From the analysis of γ -ray data and of proton angular distributions, characteristic of the amount of angular momentum transferred, a 5 / 2 + configuration was assigned to a state at 983 keV. Comparison with large-scale-shell-model calculations supports a robust neutron N = 50 shell-closure for 78 Ni. These data constitute an important step towards the understanding of the magicity of 78 Ni and of the structure of nuclei in the region.