DECAY OF Y$sup 92$ AND Nb$sup 9$$sup 2$

The radiations of Y/sup 92/ (3.50 hr) and Nb/sup 92/ (10.1 day) have been studied with the help of scintillation spectrometers and a solenoidal beta spectrometer. Analysis of the experimental results indicates that the Y/sup 92/ decay scheme involves six excited states of Zr/sup 92/, which have the following energies (Mev), spins, and parities: 0.932 (2+), 1.380 (0+), 1.492 the 3.64-Mev beta transition from Y/sup 92/ to the Zr/sup 92/ ground state has a unique first- forbidden shape, identifying Y/sup 92/ as a 2-- state. Nb/sup 92/, which decays only to the 1.836- and 0.932Mev levels of Zr/sup 92/, is postulated to have spin and parity 2+. Several features of the level structure of Zr02 appear to be manifestations of simple shell-model phenomena. It is proposed that the main components of the 1.380- and 1.836Mev states are excited proton configurations, whereas the dominant components of the levels at 0.932, 1.492, and 2.05 Mev are excited neutron configurations. (auth)