The 'Ni nucleus has been identified among the products of deep-inelastic reactions of Ni projectiles bombarding '3OTe and~o 'Pb targets. Three new states, including the high-lying 2+ (2033 keV) and the 0.86 ms 5 isomer, indicate a substantial subshell closure at neutron number N = 40. The level structure and the observed very slow E3 transition speed are discussed within the shell model. PACS numbers: 27.50.+e, 21.60.Cs, 23.20.Lv, 25.70.Lm In spherical nuclei the 1g9/2 orbital is distinctly separated in energy from all other single-particle levels. This gives rise to the well established magicity of the neutron and proton numbers N, Z = 50 and points towards a somewhat less pronounced closure at N, Z = 40. For protons the Z = 40 subshell closure is clearly demonstrated by the well known level structure of the 9OZr nucleus [1], for which the lowest excitation is the 1.76 MeV 0+ state, the first 2+ state appears at 2.19 MeV, and the lowest lying particle-hole (p,~2g9t2) excitation produces the longlived 5 isomeric state. The study of similar features in
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.