Abstract
By irradiating Mg24, Mg25, and Mg26 targets with 15-MeV deuterons, the proton spectra have been measured at four angles up to high excitation energies of the residual nuclei, and as a result many new levels of Mg25, Mg26, and Mg27 have been identified in the region above the neutron separation energy. The 3.969-MeV level of Mg25 and the two unresolved levels of Mg27 at 3.76 MeV and 3.78 MeV have angular distributions characteristic of l=3 angular-momentum transfer rather than of l=2. Detailed consideration has been given to the low-lying levels and to the applicability of the distorted-wave Born-approximation (DWBA) method in calculating the single-particle cross sections. From stripping cross sections and related spectroscopic factors, evidence has been obtained that the low-lying levels of Mg26 and Mg27 may be considered as members of rotational bands, analogous to those of Mg24 and Mg25, respectively.