Gamow-Teller beta decay of the very neutron deficient $N=50$ nucleus $^{98}$Cd

For the first time, detailed decay-spectroscopic investigations were performed for the very neutron-deficientN=50 nuclide98Cd. The98Cd activity was produced in spallation reactions between 600 MeV protons and a natural tin target, yielding a98Cd beam intensity of 10 to 60 atoms/s at the collector of the ISOLDE massseparator. By means ofγ-ray and conversion-electron spectroscopy, 19 transitions were found to follow the β+/EC decay98Cd→98Ag. The transitions at 61 and 107 keV were shown to beM1(+E2) andE2, respectively, and the98Cd half-life was measured as 9.2±0.3 s. TheQ EC value of98Cd is determined semiempirically and is compared to model predictions together with the measuredQ EC values of the neighbouring cadmium isotopes100,102Cd and theN=50 isotones92Mo,94Ru, and96Pd, taken from the literature. The newly established decay scheme of98Cd includes 9 excited states of98Ag. Four states at 1691, 1861, 2164, and 2544 keV are directly fed by 0+ → 1+ Gamow-Teller beta transitions with a summed strength of 3.5 −0.7 +0.8 . This value corresponds to 25±5% of the strength predicted for the GT transformation of a g9/2 proton (in98Cd) into a g7/2 neutron (in98Ag) by the extreme single-particle shell model. The GT-strength splitting and quenching, observed for98Cd, are compared with the corresponding data for lighter even-even N=50 isotones, and are discussed with reference to the predictions of more sophisticated nuclear models. We find that only in some cases it is possible to explain qualitatively the observed GT strength distribution and its total magnitude without renormalizing the free-neutron value of the axial-vector coupling constant.