Decay of neutron-rich Mn nuclides and deformation of heavy Fe isotopes
  The use of chemically selective laser ionization combined with beta-delayed neutron counting at CERN/ISOLDE has permitted identification and half-life measurements for 623-ms Mn-61 up through 14-ms Mn-69. The measured half-lives are found to be significantly longer near N=40 than the values calculated with a QRPA shell model using ground-state deformations from the FRDM and ETFSI models. Gamma-ray singles and coincidence spectroscopy has been performed for Mn-64 and Mn-66 decays to levels of Fe-64 and Fe-66, revealing a significant drop in the energy of the first 2+ state in these nuclides that suggests an unanticipated increase in collectivity near N=40. 
M. Hannawald, T. Kautzsch, A. Woehr, W.B. Walters, K.-L. Kratz, V.N.   Fedoseyev, V.L. Mishin, W. Boehmer, B. Pfeiffer, V. S...