Spectroscopy and lifetime measurements in ^134,136,138Te isotopes and implications for the nuclear structure beyond N=82

We report on spectroscopic information and lifetime measurements of even-even neutron-rich Te isotopes. Excited states were populated in fast-neutron induced fission of ²³⁸U at the ALTO facility of IJCLab with the LICORNE neutron source and detected using the hybrid v-ball spectrometer. We provide first results on lifetimes of the 6 ⁺ ₁ state in ¹³⁶Te and the (6 ⁺ ₁), (4 ⁺ ₁), and (2 ⁺ ₁) states in ¹³⁸Te and discuss the results in the context of large-scale shell-model calculations. The level schemes of ¹³⁶Te and ¹³⁸Te are revised in terms of lifetimes of their 2 ⁺ ₁,4 ⁺ ₁ states and updated information on the (4 ⁺ ₂) state in ¹³⁶Te is presented. In addition, previously reported data on spectroscopy and lifetimes in ¹³⁴Te are reexamined. This work provides new insights into the evolution of collectivity for Te isotopes with N=82,84,86.