Nuclear moments and deformation changes in the lightest Pt isotopes measured by laser spectroscopy

Laser spectroscopy measurements are performed with the lightest neutron-deficient platinum isotopes using the experimental setup COMPLIS installed at the ISOLDE-Booster facility. The hyperfine spectra of /sup 182-178/Pt and /sup 183m/Pt are recorded for the first time from the optical transition 5d/sup 9/6s/sup 3/D/sub 3/ to 5d/sup 9/6p/sup 3/P/sub 2/. The variation in the mean-square charge radius of these nuclei and the magnetic and quadrupole (for I>or=1) moments of the odd isotope nuclei are found. A large deformation change between the /sup 183g/Pt and /sup 183m/Pt nuclei, quite large inverted odd-even staggering of the charge radius around the neutron midshell N=104, and a nuclear deformation drop in the region A=179 are revealed. All the results are discussed in terms of nuclear shape variation and are compared with the results of Hartree-Fock- Bogoliubov calculations involving the Gogny force. Comparison of the deformation measured from /sup 183g, m/Pt to the odd-odd isotone /sup 184g, m/Au shows that the proton from the h/sub 9/2/ subshell tends to stabilize deformation in odd-odd nuclei at values close to that in the neighboring gold nuclei. (23 refs).