Characterization of three-phonon states in 110Cd

The three-phonon structure of 110Cd has been studied with the (n, n(')gamma) reaction. The measurements consisted of gamma-ray excitation functions and angular distributions, and lifetimes of proposed three-phonon quadrupole states in 110Cd have been measured using the Doppler-shift attenuation method. Moreover, decay of the three-phonon 2(+) state in 110Cd at 2356 keV to a two-phonon state is observed for the first time. The experimental results allow the determination of transition rates of decays from the three-phonon excitations, and the collectivity of these states is established. The experimental B(E2) values are compared to different theoretical descriptions.