Investigation of $^{198,200}$Hg isotopes

Limits on the electric dipole moment (EDM) continue to decrease for $^{199}$Hg, which provides the most stringent upper limit for a nuclear EDM to date. The $E3$ and $E1$ strength distributions to the ground state of $^{199}$Hg, and $E2$ transitions among excited states, would be ideal information to constrain theoretical models of the $^{199}$Hg Schiff moment. The high level density of $^{199}$Hg makes those determinations challenging, however similar information can be obtained from exploring surrounding even-even Hg isotopes. As part of a campaign to study the $^{198,200}$Hg isotopes, a number of experiments have been performed using the Q3D spectrograph at the Maier-Leibnitz Laboratory, with 22 MeV deuteron beams impinging on enriched Hg$^{32}$S targets. Inelastic scattering allows us to probe the desired $E2$ and $E3$ matrix elements, while the $^{198}$Hg$(d,p)$ and $^{200}$Hg$(d,t)$ reactions provide information on the neutron single-particle states of $^{199}$Hg.