Spectroscopy of $1f-2p$ Nuclei with Direct ($d, \alpha$) and ($d, p$) Reactions. I. ${\mathrm{Cu}}^{66}$ and ${\mathrm{Ni}}^{61}$

${\mathrm{Zn}}^{68}(d, \alpha ){\mathrm{Cu}}^{66}$ and ${\mathrm{Cu}}^{65}(d, p){\mathrm{Cu}}^{66}$ angular distributions have been measured for deuteron energies of 12 MeV. The reaction products were magnetically analyzed, and the resolutions obtained were 11-12 keV for ($d, \alpha$) and 8 keV for ($d, p$) reactions. Angular momentum transfers $L_{d,\alpha }$ and $l_{d,p}$ for the transitions were obtained by comparison with distorted-wave Born-approximation (DWBA) calculations. Level energies, $J^{\pi }$ values or narrow limits for $J^{\pi }$, and ($d, p$) spectroscopic factors could be determined for about 65 ${\mathrm{Cu}}^{66}$ levels below 3-MeV excitation. The reaction ${\mathrm{Cu}}^{63}(d, \alpha ){\mathrm{Ni}}^{61}$ was investigated as a function of deuteron energy, $10.5\le E_d\le 12.5$ MeV, in order to support the assumption that ($d, \alpha$) reactions in this mass and energy range proceed by a direct transfer mechanism. A high-resolution ${\mathrm{Cu}}^{63}(d, \alpha ){\mathrm{Ni}}^{61}$ spectrum and excitation functions for five well-resolved ${\mathrm{Ni}}^{61}$ levels are presented. It is found that ($d, \alpha$) cross-section fluctuations do not exceed counting statistics (<15%). The reported DWBA calculations follow current DWBA theories, without arbitrary parameters or cutoffs; and include corrections for finite range and nonlocality effects. Microscopic form factors based on finite-well single-particle wave functions were used for the ${\mathrm{Zn}}^{68}(d, \alpha ){\mathrm{Cu}}^{66}$ calculations. Very good agreement with experimental ($d, \alpha$) angular distributions was found if $\alpha$ potentials characterized by a real well with $r_0\approx 1.4$ F, $V\approx 160$ MeV were used. Shallower and deeper $\alpha$-potential families which fitted elastic $\alpha$ scattering equally well were found to lead to quantitative and qualitative disagreement with experiment.