In-beam spectroscopic studies of the 44S nucleus

The structure of the S-44 nucleus has been studied at GANIL through the one proton knock-out reaction from a Cl-45 secondary beam at 42 A.MeV. The gamma rays following the de-excitation of S-44 were detected in flight using the 70 BaF2 detectors of the Chateau de Cristal array. An exhaustive gamma gamma-coincidence analysis allowed an unambiguous construction of the level scheme up to an excitation energy of 3301 keV. The existence of the spherical 2(2)(+) state is confirmed and three new gamma-ray transitions connecting the prolate deformed 2(1)(+) level were observed. Comparison of the experimental results to shell model calculations further supports a prolate and spherical shape coexistence with a large mixing of states built on the ground state band in S-44.