HYPERFINE STRUCTURE AND NUCLEAR MOMENTS OF AMERICIUM-242

The hyperfine structure of /sub 95/Am/sup 242/(T,/sub 1/2 J =7/2 electronic ground state was studied by the atomicbeam technique using radioactive detection. The nuclear spin is found to be I = 1. The measured values of the magnetic-dipole interaction constant A and the electricquadrupole interaction constant B are A = plus or minus 10.124(10) Mc/sec and B = plus or minus 69.639(40) Mc/sec, respectively. Combining these measuremerts with optical spectroscopic and atomic-beam data for Am/sup 241/, the nuclear magnetic-dipole moment is inferred to be mu I = plus or minus 0.33 nm and the nuclear quadrupole moment Q = plus or minus 2.76 barns. These results are discussed in terms of the Bohr-Mottelson nuclear model. (auth)