New level scheme and shell model description of the near-spherical nucleus Nb 94

High-spin states of Nb94 have been studied by in-beam γ-ray spectroscopic methods using the Se82(O18,p5n)Nb94 reaction at beam energies of 82 and 88 MeV. Particle-γ-γ coincidence measurements using CsI and high-purity germanium arrays are employed to gain selectivity to Nb isotopic products. The level scheme of Nb94 has been extended up to excitation energy ≈11MeV and spin 24 with the addition of 20 new γ transitions, and the placement of some of the previously known transitions has been revised. The energy spectrum bears signature of core breaking, viz., presence of high energy (Eγ≈2MeV) γ rays originating due to excitation of nucleons across the shell gaps. The proposed level scheme is compared with large basis spherical shell model calculations using the GWBXG and SNET interactions.