Two-Phonon Octupole Excitation in 146Gd

The excited states in 146Gd have been re-investigated with the 144Sm(,2n) reaction using a modern Ge -ray array including a polarimeter. Amongst the non-yrast states populated in this reaction we have identified the aligned 6+ member of the two-phonon octupole quartet from the observation of the E3 branching to the one phonon 3- state. Our results represent the first observation of a 6+- > 3-- > 0+ E3 cascade in an even-even nucleus.