Forward on the <Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis> = <Emphasis Type="Italic">Z</Emphasis> line with GASP

The experimental study of the proton-rich nuclei close to the N = Z line is a constant challenge for nuclear spectroscopy, mainly due to the difficulty to produce them with the currently available beam/target combinations. Significant advances on this direction were obtained from experiments performed with the GASP array during the last two years: the yrast line of ⁸⁴Mo was extended up to 10 ⁺ , ⁸⁸Ru observed for the first time, and the N = Z + 1 line was mapped from ⁸¹Zr to ⁹⁵Ag. These new results allow us to have a more complete image of the transition from the well-deformed shell closure at N,Z = 40 to the spherical-shell closure at N,Z = 50, and highlights some particular effects that can be observed only in the vicinity of the N = Z line.Received: 10 January 2003, Published online: 23 March 2004PACS: 21.10.-k Properties of nuclei; nuclear energy levels - 21.10.Pc Single-particle levels and strength functions - 21.10.Re Collective levels - 23.20.-g Electromagnetic transitions