Oblate shapes of200, 202, 204Hg

Measurements of the reorientation effect for the first excited 2⁺ states in^{200, 202, 204}Hg were performed by exploiting the dependence of theγ-ray yield on Q₂+ for different projectiles. For²⁰⁰Hg, a positive quadrupole moment of Q₂=0.96±0.11 eb (for negative interference) or Q₂=1.11±0.11 eb (for positive interference) was determined indicating an oblate shape. Small positive Q₂ values were also found for²⁰²Hg and²⁰⁴Hg. Nine B(E2) values for excitation of the 2⁺, 2⁺′ and 4⁺ states in^196–204Hg measured.