Nuclear structure of 76Ge from inelastic neutron scattering measurements and shell model calculations

The low-lying, low-spin levels of Ge-76 were studied with the (n, n'gamma) reaction. Gamma-ray excitation function measurements were performed at incident neutron energies from 1.6 to 3.7 MeV, and gamma-ray angular distributions were measured at neutron energies of 3.0 and 3.5 MeV. From these measurements, level spins, level lifetimes, gamma-ray intensities, and multipole mixing ratios were determined. No evidence for a number of previously placed levels was found. Below 3.3 MeV, many new levels were identified, and the level scheme was re-evaluated. The B(E2) values support low-lying band structure. The 2(+) mixed-symmetry state has been identified for the first time. A comparison of the level characteristics with large-scale shell model calculations yielded excellent agreement.