Half-life and decay scheme ofLa138

The half-life and decay scheme of ${}_{}{}^{138}{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{La}$ have been reinvestigated using a large-volume Ge(Li) detector. The partial half-lives for electron-capture decay and ${\beta }^{-}$ decay have been determined to be (1.58±0.02) × ${10}^{11}$ yr and (3.19±0.22) × ${10}^{11}$ yr, respectively. The resulting total ${}_{}{}^{138}{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{La}$ half-life is (1.06±0.03) × ${10}^{11}$ yr. The results of the present work are compared with those of previous investigations.