Levels of 234U and 236U excited by the (d,d') reaction

The energy levels of ²³⁴U and ²³⁶U have been studied through the inelastic scattering of 16 MeV douterons. A magnetic spectrograph was used to momentum-analyse the scattered deuterons at θ = 90° and 125°. Excited in both ²³⁴U and ²³⁶U were the ground state bands up to and including the 8⁺ members, the K^π = 0⁺β-vibrations, the K^π = 2⁺γ-vibrations, and the K^π = 0^? octupole vibrational bands. In ²³⁴U, additional levels at 1023 and 1126 keV are ascribed to a K^π = 2^? band, levels at 1238, 1312, and 1446 keV are identified as members of either a K^π = 0^? or 1^? configuration, and other tentative assignments are made for members of K^π = 1^? and 3^? configurations. Relative reduced transition probabilities, B(E2), to the 2⁺ rotational and γ-vibrational states are generally found to be in good agreement with Coulomb excitation measurements. Relative B(E3) values for the 3^? states excited are slightly higher than the predictions of a microscopic theory of octupole vibrations.