Two-phonon octupole excitations in Pb-208 and the role of E1 transitions in their decays

In recent work, candidates for two-phonon octupole excitations in Pb-208 ha ve been identified based on the observation of a cascade of E3 decays and o n the rates of de-exciting E1 transitions. To gain greater understanding of E1 transition rates in this region, Pb-207, a nucleus with a neutron hole coupled to the octupole vibrational core of Pb-208, has been examined. The status of the search for the two-phonon octupole quartet in Pb-208 is prese nted, and outstanding questions are highlighted.