Lifetime and g-factor measurements of yrast states in /sup 134/Nd and /sup 136/Nd

We report on the measurement of lifetimes and magnetic moments of yrast states in /sup 134/Nd and /sup 136/Nd. Lifetimes in the 10--100 ps range were measured via the recoil distance Doppler shift method applied to the reactions /sup 110/Pd(/sup 28,30/Si,4n) at 120--125 MeV beam energy. Magnetic moments of the 21 state in /sup 134/Nd and the 10 and 12 yrast states in /sup 136/Nd were deduced from the integral Larmor precessions measured after recoil implantation in a magnetized nickel foil, via the reactions /sup 76/Ge(/sup 62,64/Ni,4n). The 10 backbending state in /sup 136/Nd results from h/sub 11/2/ proton (two quasiparticle) alignment. The paramagnetic relaxation time of Nd in nickel was measured by Coulomb excitation and implantation of /sup 148/Nd(21 ).