Octupole correlations in 229Ra Original Research Article

The structure of 229Ra has been studied in the β− decay of 229Fr. Spins and parities have been determined from the conversion electron measurements, while half-lives for the 137.5, 142.7, 168.8, 213.0 and 479.0 keV levels have been measured in the ps and ns ranges via the fast timing βγγ(t) method. Our data confirm the previous results and enrich the knowledge of the structure of this nucleus by 25 new states and several strong transitions. Structural similarities are established between 229Ra and its N = 141 isotone 231Th. The experimental results are compared with the theoretical predictions of the quasiparticle-phonon model with inclusion of Coriolis coupling. The reduced transition probabilities, and especially the moderately fast B(E1) rate for the 137.5 keV transition connecting the band-heads of the View the MathML source parity doublet bands, reveal the presence of significant octupole correlations in 229Ra.