β decay and isomeric properties of neutron-rich Ca and Sc isotopes

The isomeric and beta-decay properties of neutron-rich {sup 53-57}Sc and {sup 53,54}Ca nuclei near neutron number N=32 are reported, and the low-energy level schemes of {sup 53,54,56}Sc and {sup 53-57}Ti are presented. The low-energy level structures of the {sub 21}Sc isotopes are discussed in terms of the coupling of the valence 1f{sub 7/2} proton to states in the corresponding {sub 20}Ca cores. Implications with respect to the robustness of the N=32 subshell closure are discussed, as well as the repercussions for a possible N=34 subshell closure.