Striking harmony between the nuclear shell model and new experimental g factors and B(E2) values of even Ni isotopes - art. no. 021302

High precision g factors and B(E2) values were obtained in measurements of the first 2(+) states of Ni58-64 using the technique of projectile Coulomb excitation in combination with transient magnetic fields. The new results a re well explained by large-scale shell model calculations in which. for Ni5 8-62, up to t = 5 nucleons are excited from the f(7/2) shell into the remai ning fp shell orbits. A complete calculation was carried out for Ni-64. The g factor of Ni-58 is particularly surprising as it is small but definitely positive, a result which was not expected and therefore not considered in several earlier calculations. This observation can be explained by strong c oupling of valence particles to an excited Ni-56 core in accordance with re cent Monte Carlo shell model calculations.