g-factor of the 2{sup+}{sub{1} state of {sup179}Hf.

The g factor of the 2{sub 1}{sup +} state of {sup 172}Hf was measured using the perturbed angular correlation technique in a static external magnetic field. The result, g(2{sub 1}{sup +}) = 0.25(5), is discussed in relation to the systematics of the previously reported g factors in the Hf isotopes and compared with the predictions of several models. An interesting outcome of the analysis presented in this paper is the agreement between the calculated g factors within the interacting boson approximation (IBA) and the results of a large-scale shell model calculation. This agreement supports the emphasis in the IBA on the valence space. The undershooting of the empirical g factors near midshell in both models suggests that they underestimate the role of the saturation of collectivity, which is explicitly incorporated into a phenomenological model that agrees better with the data.