First observation of excited states in 182Pb

Excited states in the light lead nucleus, 182Pb, have been observed for the first time, by means of the recoil-decay tagging technique. A rotational band has been observed which has features in common with bands attributed to a prolate configuration in the heavier neutron deficient lead nuclei, 184-188Pb. A variable moment of inertia fit to the states in this band suggests that the prolate minimum has risen significantly in energy compared to the next even lead nucleus, 184Pb. This constitutes firm evidence for the minimization of this configuration with respect to the spherical ground state around N=103.