Gamma-ray spectroscopy of 66Zn and 67Zn and the role of the g92 orbital

Measurements of γ-ray yield functions, γ-γ coincidence spectra and y-ray angular distributions following the ⁶⁴Ni(α, n) and (α, 2n) reactions have been made. Beam energies of 17 to 25 MeV were used. Among the new levels observed, with their proposed spin-parity assignments, are: in ⁶⁶Zn, 3708 keV, (5)⁺; 3896 keV, 5^?; 4812 keV, (7^?); 5110 keV, (8^?); 6417 keV; (10^?); 7516 keV, (12⁺); and in ⁶⁷Zn, 2937 keV, $\text{13}\text{2}{}^{\mathrm{+}}$; 3491 keV, $\text{17}\text{2}$ or $\text{19}\text{2}$; 3492 keV, ($\text{13}\text{2}$(si+)); 4221 keV, ($\text{19}\text{2}$^?); 4631 keV, ($\text{21}\text{2}{}^{\mathrm{+}}$); 4685 keV, ($\text{21}\text{2}$^?). Comparison between the ground-state sequence, 0⁺ to 6⁺, in ⁶⁶Zn and the first $\text{9}\text{2}$⁺ to $\text{21}\text{2}$⁺ levels in ⁶⁷Zn strongly suggests that the latter be described as a g_{$\text{9}\text{1}$} neutron orbital weakly coupled to the ⁶⁶Zn core. Other sequences of high-spin ⁶⁶Zn states are proposed to be formed from two-quasiparticle states containing the g_{$\text{9}\text{2}$} excitation, coupled to the same ground-state sequence.