Nuclear level densities and γ -ray strength functions in samarium isotopes

The γ-strength functions and level densities in the quasicontinuum of Sm147,149 isotopes have been extracted from particle-γ coincidences using the Oslo method. The nuclei of interest were populated via (p,d) reactions on pure Sm148,150 targets and the reaction products were recorded by the Hyperion array. An upbend in the low-energy region of the γSF has been observed. The systematic analysis of the γSF for a range of Sm isotopes highlights the interplay between scissors mode and the upbend. Shell-model calculations show reasonable agreement with the experimental γSFs and confirm the correspondence between the upbend and scissors mode.