Exploiting dissipative reactions to perform in-beam <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:mi>?</mml:mi></mml:math> -ray spectroscopy of the neutron-deficient isotopes <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:mmultiscripts><mml:mi>Ca</mml:mi><mml:mprescripts /><mml:none /><mml:mrow><mml:mn>38</mml:mn><mml:mo>,</mml:mo><mml:mn>39</mml:mn></mml:mrow></mml:mmultiscripts></mml:math>

The neutron-deficient Ca isotopes continue to attract attention due their importance for testing isospin symmetry and relevance in capture reactions of interest nova nucleosynthesis the shape light curves Type I x-ray bursts. To date, spectroscopic information on $^{38,39}\mathrm{Ca}$ is largely limited data lower-spin excited states. Here, we report in-beam $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray spectroscopy complementary higher-spin, complex-structure states $^{39}\mathrm{Ca}$ populated fast-beam-induced, momentum-dissipative processes leading neutron pickup onto configurations projectile, $^{9}\mathrm{Be}(^{38}\mathrm{Ca}^{*},^{39}\mathrm{Ca}+\ensuremath{\gamma})X$. Such a dissipative reaction was recently characterized case inelastic scattering $^{38}\mathrm{Ca}$ off $^{9}\mathrm{Be}, ^{9}\mathrm{Be}(^{38}\mathrm{Ca}, ^{38}\mathrm{Ca}+\ensuremath{\gamma})X$. Additional discussion nuclear structure also presented. An explanation more-complex-structure states, with small cross sections one-nucleon knockout reactions, observed tails longitudinal momentum distributions, offered.