Excited states and reduced transition probabilities in 168Os

The level scheme of the neutron-deficient nuclide Os-168 has been extended and mean lifetimes of excited states have been measured by the recoil distance Doppler-shift method using the JUROGAM gamma-ray spectrometer in conjunction with the IKP Koln plunger device. The 168Os. rays were measured in delayed coincidence with recoiling fusion-evaporation residues detected at the focal plane of the RITU gas-filled separator. The ratio of reduced transition probabilities B(E2; 4(1)(+)-> 2(1)(+))/B(E2; 2(1)(+)-> 0(1)(+)) is measured to be 0.34(18), which is very unusual for collective band structures and cannot be reproduced by interacting boson model (IBM-2) calculations based on the SkM* energy-density functional.