Picosecond lifetimes in ${}^{129,130}\mathrm{Ba}$ were determined using the recoil distance technique with a plunger device coupled to an array of EUROBALL-cluster-detectors for the first time. The differential decay curve method in coincidence mode was employed to derive lifetimes for six states in ${}^{129}\mathrm{Ba}$ and twelve states in ${}^{130}\mathrm{Ba}.$ The resulting $B\left(E2\mathrm{}\right)\mathrm{}$ values are compared with triaxial rotor plus particle calculations for ${}^{129}\mathrm{Ba}$ and, in ${}^{130}\mathrm{Ba},$ to the predictions of the general collective model, the interacting boson model, as well as to the symmetric and asymmetric rotor models. In ${}^{130}\mathrm{Ba},$ the transitional quadrupole moment in the ground state band is remarkably constant before and after the backbend. With this data the two-quasiparticle negative parity band in ${}^{130}\mathrm{Ba}$ was confirmed to be based on a $\pi {(h}_{11/2}\otimes d_{5/2}{/g}_{7/2})$ configuration.

• Received 10 November 1999

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.61.044325