E3 transition probabilities in the platinum, mercury, and lead isotopes

Spectroscopical properties of the platinum, mercury, and lead isotopes are studied within the Hartree-Fock plus BCS framework with the finite range density-dependent Gogny force. These properties are also studied beyond mean-field theory by combining the use of generator-coordinate-method-like wave functions with the angular momentum projection technique as to generate many-body correlated wave functions that are at the same time eigenstates of the angular momentum operator. We apply this formalism to the calculation of reduced transition probabilities B(E3) from the lowest-lying octupole collective state to the ground state of several isotopes of the platinum, mercury, and lead nuclei whose experimental B(E3) values present a peculiar behavior. The projected calculations show a large improvement over the unprojected ones when compared with the experimental data. The unprojected calculations are unable to predict any structure in the B(E3). © 1996 The American Physical Society.