Excited states in the neutron-deficient isotope ${}^{169}\mathrm{Os}$ have been identified for the first time in an experiment using the Jurosphere $\gamma$-ray spectrometer in conjunction with the Ritu gas-filled recoil separator. The problems associated with identifying neutron-deficient isotopes produced with low fusion cross sections against a high background of competing channels, including fission, have been overcome by using the recoil-decay tagging technique. The band structures observed in ${}^{169}\mathrm{Os}$ are interpreted in the context of the systematics of neighboring nuclei and the predictions of cranked Woods-Saxon calculations. The systematics of the second ${(i}_{13/2}{)}^2$ neutron alignment in this region are discussed.

• Received 8 July 2002

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.66.054311