Two-quasiproton structures in ytterbium-174

The two-quasiproton structure of 174Yb has been investigated in a study of the 175Lu(t,α)174Yb reaction. The reaction was performed using a 35.5 MeV triton beam delivered by the Daresbury tandem Van de Graaff accelerator. Magnetic analysis of ejectile ions was achieved using a QMG 2 magnetic spectrometer and ion identification and detection employed a hybrid gas-filled, multielement, focal plane detector. Elements of the detailed nuclear structure of 174Yb are discussed in terms of the two-quasiproton configurations populated. Of particular interest is a low-lying Kπ = 3+ band, observed in this reaction and discussed in terms of hexadecapole collectivity. No Kπ = 1+ bands were observed, and the consequences of this for a microscopic description of the magnetic-dipole-strength distribution in 174Yb are discussed.