96Tc levels populated in the (α,n) reaction

The levels of odd-odd 96Tc have been investigated using the 93Nb(α,nγ)96Tc reaction at an alpha-beam energy of 14 MeV. The experiments involved singles, gamma-gamma coincidences, detailed excitation functions, gamma-ray angular distributions, measurements of the gamma-ray linear polarization coefficients, and electron internal-conversion coefficients. Spin and parity assignments are given with a high degree of confidence to most of the 105 energy levels, which are interconnected by 251 gamma-ray transitions. In particular, a new energy level at 36.24 keV completes a sextet of lowest lying levels ranging in spin from 2+ to 7+ formed by a coupling of an odd g9/2 proton to an odd d52 neutron. The structure of 96Tc shows some vibrational features coexisting with a significant configuration mixing. Thus, a quartet of nuclei at the onset of a deformation region at A ∼ 100, 94,95Mo and 95,96Tc, provides a challenging ground for testing of the microscopic models and may give further insight into the nature of the neutron-proton interaction in complex nuclei. (14 refs., 2 tabs., 4 figs.)