Lifetime Of The 6(1)(+) State In Nd-144

Using a comparative delayed coincidence technique the lifetime of the 6(1)(+) level in Nd-144 has been measured as tau = 30 +/- 3 gs, leading to a B(E2; 6(1)(+) --> 4(1)(+)) value of 25 +/- 3 W.u. This value is almost a factor of 3 less than that expected for a purely collective three-phonon state, but is in agreement with particle-core coupling calculations that predict significant noncollective L = 4 and L = 6 components in the 4(+) and 6(+) yrast state wave functions.