The doubly-magic character of146Gd and its relation to208Pb

Recent experiments indicate the possibility of a doubly-magic character for the nucleus¹⁴⁶Gd (Z=64, N=82). In this work the results of a large-scale shell-model study on the nucleus¹⁴⁶Gd and its neighbouring nuclei¹⁴⁵Eu,¹⁴⁵Gd,¹⁴⁷Gd and¹⁴⁷Tb are presented. The configurations taken into account include up to 2p - 2h excitations for protons and/or neutrons. The calculated spectra and static moments are compared with the experimental data. Finally, the present results on shell closure in¹⁴⁶Gd are discussed in connection with those derived from a similar approach applied to the well-known doubly-magic nucleus²⁰⁸Pb.