N = 152 shell gap and the 244Pu(t,p)246Pu reaction

The 244Pu(t,p)246Pu reaction has been used to examine the N = 150 → 152 transition for evidence of a shell gap. Previous (t,p) experiments involving the actinide region have shown no excited 0+ states except for the 246Cm(t,p)248Cm reaction, which also involves an N = 150 → 152 transition. As in that case, the present reaction contains a relatively strong L = 0 transition having about 30% of the ground-state transition strength, at an excitation energy near 1 MeV. This result is further evidence for the presence of a gap in the Nilsson orbitals at N = 152. This study is also the first examination of the excited states of 246Pu and determines the 246Pu mass excess to be 65.38 +- 0.02 MeV