Magnetic moment measurements of the first-excited 2+ states in even Nd isotopes

The g-factors of the first-excited 2⁺ states of ^{144, 146, 148}Nd were deduced from precession measurements in which the excited nuclei recoil through (TF IMPAC) or stop in (IMPAC) magnetized iron. The transient and static hyperfine fields which are active in these cases have been calibrated. The results for the g-factors, combined with previous data which were reanalyzed in the present work, are: g₁₄₄ = 0.15 ± 0.02, g₁₄₆ = 0.25 ± 0.04, g₁₄₈ = 0.32 ± 0.04. The g-factor for ¹⁴⁴Nd, which is abnormally low for a collective 2⁺ state, cannot be accounted for theoretically.