High-spin isomers in ²¹²Rn in the region of triple neutron core-excitations

The level scheme of ²¹²Rn has been extended to spins of ∼ 38 ℏ and excitation energies of about 13 MeV using the ²⁰⁴Hg(¹³C, 5n)²¹²Rn reaction and γ-ray spectroscopy. Time correlated techniques have been used to obtain sensitivity to weak transitions and channel selectivity. The excitation energy of the 22⁺ core-excited isomer has been established at 6174 keV. Two isomers with τ = 25 (2) ns and τ = 12 (2) ns are identified at 12211 and 12548 keV, respectively. These are the highest-spin nuclear isomers now known, and are attributed to configurations involving triple neutron core-excitations coupled to the aligned valence protons. Semi-empirical shell-model calculations can account for most states observed, but with significant energy discrepancies for some configurations.