The level structure of 136 Nd has been investigated using the 100 Mo(40 Ar, 4n) reaction and the JUROGAM II+RITU+GREAT setup. The level scheme has been extended significantly. Many new bands have been identified both at low and high spin, among which are five nearly degenerate bands interpreted as chiral partners. Excitation energies, spins, and parities of the previously known bands are revised and firmly established, and some previously known bands have been revised. Configurations are assigned to the observed bands based on cranked Nilsson-Strutinsky calculations. The band structure of 136 Nd is now clarified and the various types of single-particle and collective excitations are well understood.

One new pair of positive-parity chiral doublet bands have been identified in the odd-A nucleus 135 Nd which together with the previously reported negative-parity chiral doublet bands constitute a third case of multiple chiral doublet (MχD) bands in the A ≈ 130 mass region. The properties of the MχD bands are well reproduced by constrained covariant density functional theory and particle rotor model calculations. The newly observed MχD bands in 135 Nd represents an important milestone in supporting the existence of MχD in nuclei.

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An in-flight zero-angle mass separator, MARA, has been recently constructed and commissioned at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland. MARA is a double focusing device, consisting of a quadrupole driplet, electrostatic deflector, and magnetic dipole. This separator is built for nuclear structure studies to be performed around the N ∼Z line and at beyond the proton drip line.

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