Study of Low-Lying States inFe53by the ReactionCr50(α,nγ)Fe53

Low-lying states in ${}_{}{}^{53}{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{Fe}$ have been studied via the reaction ${}_{}{}^{50}{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{Cr}(\alpha ,n\gamma ){}_{}{}^{53}{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{Fe}$. A Ge (Li) $\gamma$ spectrum was measured in coincidence with neutrons to identify low-lying states and their $\gamma$ transitions. A threshold study with a Ge(Li) detector was made at bombarding energies between 5.6 to 10.0 MeV. The $n-\gamma$ and the threshold studies together with $\gamma -\gamma$ coincidences suggest the existence of states at 741 ± 1-, 1328 ± 1-, 1423 ± 1-, and 1697 ± 1-keV excitation energies. An $n-\gamma$ delayed-coincidence measurement has been done for the 741-keV $\gamma$ ray. The resulting mean life is $\tau =92\mathrm{}\pm 2$ nsec.