The Nuclear Structure of ^72,74Ge from Inelastic Neutron Scattering

The University of Kentucky Accelerator Laboratory (UKAL) specializes in studies with fast neutrons. The nuclear structure of the Ge nuclei characterized via inelastic neutron scattering and γ-ray spectroscopy has been a recent focus. These isotopes are of interest for a variety of structural reasons, as well as their relevance to neutrinoless double-beta decay. ⁷⁶Ge is one of the top candidates for these searches. The structure of both the parent and daughter nuclei are of utmost importance for constraining calculations of the nuclear matrix element for the process. As such, we have sought to characterize the Ge isotopic chain in order to provide detailed level scheme and transition probability data. A number of new structural features have been identified and characterized in each nucleus. Large-scale shell-model calculations have also been performed. Recent results for ^72,74Ge will be presented.