Interplay between particle and core excitations in 133Sb

The γ decay of the one-proton valence nucleus 133Sb is studied using the cold-neutron induced fission of 235U and 241Pu targets. The experiment is performed at the ILL reactor in Grenoble, using a highly efficient HPGe array, also coupled to fast LaBr3(Ce) scintillators. High-spin excited states above the 16.6 μs isomer are observed, and the lifetime of the 13/2+ and 15/2+ states is measured by fast-timing techniques, revealing a complex nature of the wave functions. The experimental results are well-interpreted by a newly developed microscopic model which takes into account the coupling between the valence proton and excitations (both collective and noncollective) of the doubly magic 132Sn core.