Microscopic investigation of $E2$ matrix elements in atomic nuclei

A systematic analysis of $E2$ matrix elements of $^{72}$Ge, $^{76}$Ge, $^{168}$Er, $^{186}$Os, $^{188}$Os, $^{190}$Os, $^{192}$Os and $^{194}$Pt nuclides is performed using the beyond mean-field approach of triaxial projected shell model (TPSM). For these nuclei, large sets of $E2$ matrix elements have been deduced from the multi-step Coulomb excitation experiments, and it is shown that TPSM approach provides a reasonable description of the measured transitions. We have evaluated 1496 $E2$ matrix elements up to spin, $I=10$ for the eight nuclei studied, and tabulate them for future experimental and theoretical comparisons. Further, shape invariant analysis has been performed with the calculated $E2$ transitions using the Kumar-Cline sum rules. It is inferred from the analysis that the resulting shape, after configuration mixing of the quasiparticle states, transforms from $\gamma$-rigid to that of $\gamma$-soft for some nuclei, in conformity with the experimental data.