Recoil-isomer tagging near the mass 140 proton drip line

This contribution discusses the recoil-isomer tagging technique and its app lication to study isomeric states near the mass 140 proton drip line. The r ecoiling nuclei from a fusion-evaporation reaction were implanted into a si licon detector at the focal plane of a gas-filled separator, where prompt a nd delayed gamma -ray transitions were correlated across isomeric states. N ew states were established upon a known 1.5 mus isomer in Tb-142 and the fe eding and decay of a new 0.5(2)mus isomeric state was established in Ho-144 . This measurement represents the first observation of excited states in Ho -144.