Abstract
The observation of the new nuclide 159Re provides important insights into the evolution of single-particle structure in heavy nuclei beyond the proton drip line. The nuclide 159Re was synthesised in the reaction 106Cd(58Ni, p4n) and identified via its proton radioactivity using the RITU gas-filled separator and the GREAT focal-plane spectrometer. Comparisons of the measured proton energy (Ep = 1805±20 keV) and decay half-life (t1/2 = 21±4 μs) with values calculated using the WKB method indicate that the proton is emitted from an h11/2 state. The implications of these results for future experimental investigations into even more proton unbound Re isotopes using in-flight separation techniques are considered. © 2007 American Institute of Physics.