Lifetime Measurements in ¹⁷⁰Er

The nature of excited 0⁺ bands in nuclei remains the topic of much debate in nuclear structure physics. Obtaining level lifetimes of well-deformed nuclei in the rare-earth region will help guide theoretical interpretations of these bands. This work studies ¹⁷⁰Er, which lacks lifetime data for low-lying 0⁺ states. The lifetimes of low-lying 0⁺ states in ¹⁷⁰Er below 3.4 MeV were determined using the Doppler-shift attenuation method (DSAM) at the University of Kentucky Accelerator Laboratory. Preliminary results of level lifetimes in ¹⁷⁰Er, including 0⁺ states, will be presented.