The level structure of the neutron-rich 69Cu, 71Cu, and 73Cu isotopes has been investigated by means of
multinucleon transfer reactions. The experiment was performed at Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro using the
AGATA Demonstrator array coupled to the PRISMA magnetic spectrometer. Lifetimes of excited states in
Cu nuclei were measured with the recoil-distance Doppler-shift method. The resulting electromagnetic matrix
elements for transitions from excited states in 69,71,73Cu nuclei are used to assess the collective or single-particle
character of these states. The results are compared with predictions of large-scale shell-model calculations, giving
further insight into the evolution of the proton pf shell as neutrons fill the 1g9/2 orbital.
