Evidence for proton excitations in ^{130,132,134,136}Xe isotopes from measurements of g factors of 2₁⁺ and 4₁⁺ states

The g factors of 2₁⁺, 4₁⁺, and 2₂⁺ states in the stable ^{130,132,134,136}Xe isotopes have been measured via projectile Coulomb excitation in inverse kinematics in combination with the transient field technique. The results show a steady decrease in g(2₁⁺) as the number of neutron holes increases in the lighter nuclei below the closed N = 82 neutron shell. The g factors of the 4₁⁺ states in ^132,134Xe are consistently larger than the g factors of the 2₁⁺ states, a characteristic of proton excitation. The g factors of the 2₁⁺, 4₁⁺, and 2₂⁺ states in ¹³⁰Xe are approximately equal as would be expected for vibrational excitations.