Constant transition quadrupole moments in 174Os up to spin 20

The lifetimes of the high-spin states in 174Os have been measured with the recoil distance technique. The extracted transition quadrupole moments of the yrast levels are essentially constant (≈7.7 e b) up to spin 20+. Although this behaviour differs from that observed in the neighbouring even-even N = 98 isotone 172W, it does not, at present, preclude the possibility of a h92 proton alignment in these nuclei.