Experimental $��$-decay strength in $^{59, 60}$Ni compared with microscopic calculations

Nuclear level densities and $��$-ray strength functions have been extracted for $^{59, 60}\rm{Ni}$, using the Oslo method on data sets from the $^{60}$Ni($^{3}$He,$^{3}$He$^{\prime}��$)$^{60}$Ni and $^{60}$Ni($^{3}$He,$����$)$^{59}$Ni reactions. Above the neutron separation energy, S$_n$, we have measured the $��$-ray strength functions for $^{61}$Ni and $^{60}$Ni in photoneutron experiments. The low-energy part of the $^{59,60}$Ni $��$-ray strength functions show an increase for decreasing $��$ energies. The experimental $��$-ray strength functions are compared with $M1$ $��$-ray strength functions calculated within the shell model. The $E1$ $��$-ray strength function of $^{60}$Ni has been calculated using the QTBA framework. The QTBA calculations describe the data above $E_��\approx$ 7 MeV, while the shell-model calculations agree qualitatively with the low energy part of the $��$-ray strength function. Hence, we give a plausible explanation of the observed shape of the $��$-decay strength.