Several instances of anomalously low values of the B(E2;41+→21+)B(E2;21+→0gs+) ratio (B4/2)<1 have previously been observed in several nuclei among the highly neutron deficient W-Os-Pt isotopes with even numbers of neutrons and protons. The relatively large number of cases suggests a striking new phenomenon that currently has no theoretical explanation. A clue to its origin might be achieved by comparing the B4/2 ratios in even-even nuclei with the corresponding ratios of transition rates in neighboring odd-mass nuclei. However, until now only one case (Os169) has been observed with an unusually low corresponding B4/2 ratio, approximately 1σ below 1. Electromagnetic transition rates between excited states in the extremely neutron deficient nuclide Os167 were measured using 15 single-crystal germanium detectors from the jurogam 3 array coupled to the RITU gas-filled separator. The excited states of interest were populated via the Mo92(Kr78,2pn) fusion-evaporation reaction and studied by selecting the rare reaction channel via recoil-α-decay tagging. The lifetimes of low-lying states were measured using the recoil distance Doppler shift method with the APPA plunger device. From the measured lifetimes in the rotational-like band structure assigned to the νi13/2 yrast intruder configuration, the B(E2;17/2+→13/2+) and B(E2;21/2+→17/2+) values were deduced, resulting in the ratio B(E2;21/2+→17/2+)B(E2;17/2+→13/2+)=0.49(10). The results were compared with previous measurements in the Os isotopic chain and theoretical mean-field calculations, implying that the odd neutron valence particle has limited, if any, influence on the B4/2 values for this particular single-particle configuration.

A campaign of Coulomb-excitation experiments to study the electromagnetic structure of 110Cd was performed using beams of 14N, 32S, and 60Ni. The use of various reaction partners enables disentangling the contributions of individual electromagnetic matrix elements involved in the excitation process, yielding, among others, a precise determination of the lifetime of the 2+2 state in 110Cd.

In recent years, several cases of nuclei presenting the so-called "B-4/2 anomaly" have been observed in the neutron-deficient region close to Z = 50 and Z = 82. In the last region, the osmium isotopic chain is of particular interest, as three consecutive isotopes, 168,169,170Os, have shown the presence of this peculiar phenomenon. An experiment aimed at extending the study to Os-167 was performed at the Accelerator Laboratory of the University of Jyvaskyla, using a beam of 78Kr at 360 MeV impinging on a Mo-92 target. Lifetimes of several low-lying states were measured using the Recoil-Distance Doppler Shift method. The preliminary analysis and the study of the influence of unobserved feeders are discussed.