Evolution of the nuclear structure approachingNi78:βdecay ofCu74−78

A \ensuremath{\beta}-decay study of the even mass $^{74,76,78}\mathrm{Cu}$ isotopes toward levels in $^{74,76,78}\mathrm{Zn}$ was performed at the ISOLDE mass separator. The copper isotopes were produced in proton- or neutron-induced fission reactions on $^{238}\mathrm{U}$, laser ionized, mass separated, and sent to a $\ensuremath{\beta}\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\gamma}$ detection system. Half-lives, decay schemes, and possible spin configurations were obtained for the copper isotopes. The results are compared with calculations using schematic forces as well as large-scale shell-model calculations with realistic forces.