Studies of neutron-deficient nuclei near the Z = 82 shell closure via cold fusion reactions

We have recently performed in-beam experiments using Gammasphere + FMA to measure excited states in proton-rich Au, Hg, Tl and Pb isotopes. In these studies, the use of the FMA is essential in order to differentiate evaporation residues from the large fission background which dominates the reaction cross-section. In addition, we have found that using near-symmetric reactions at bombarding energies near the Coulomb barrier is beneficial in performing these studies. By keeping the bombarding energy low, fission is minimized and the reaction products are concentrated in only a few channels. New results have recently been obtained using the 90Zr+92Mo reaction to study 181Tl and 181Pb via the 1p and 1n channels, respectively