Doubly magic Pb208 : High-spin states, isomers, and E3 collectivity in the yrast decay

Yrast and near-yrast levels up to spin values in excess of I = 30h have been delineated in the doubly-magic 208Pb nucleus following deep-inelastic reactions involving 208Pb targets and, mostly, 430-MeV 48Ca and 1440-MeV 208Pb beams. The level scheme was established up to an excitation energy of 16.4 MeV, based on multi-fold γ-ray coincidence relationships measured with the Gammasphere array. Below the well-known, 0.5-μs 10+ isomer, ten new transitions were added to earlier work. The delineation of the higher parts of the level sequence benefited from analyses involving a number of prompt- and delayed-coincidence conditions. Three new isomeric states were established along the yrast line with I π = 20- (10342 keV), 23+ (11361 keV), and 28- (13675 keV), and respective half-lives of 22(3), 12.7(2), and 60(6) ns. Gamma transitions were also identified preceding in time the 28- isomer, however, only a few could be placed in the level scheme and no firm spin-parity quantum numbers could be proposed. In contrast, for most states below this 28- isomer, firm spin-parity values were assigned, based on total electron-conversion coefficients, deduced for low-energy (