  Two-neutron transfer reactions serve as an important tool for nuclear
structure studies in the neutron rich part of the nuclear chart. In this
article, we report on the first experimental attempt to populate the excited
states of $^{140}$Ba employing the 2n-neutron transfer reaction
$^{138}$Ba($^{18}$O,$^{16}$O)$^{140}$Ba. $^{140}$Ba is highly important, as it
is placed on the onset of octupole correlations and the lifetimes of its
excited states are completely unknown, with the sole exception of the first
2$^+$ state. The experiment was carried out at the Horia Hulubei National
Institute for Physics and Nuclear Engineering (IFIN-HH) in Magurele, Romania.
Lower limits on the lifetimes of ground state band up to the 8$^+$ state are
reported. Furthermore, relative cross sections regarding the 2n-transfer
reaction with respect to the fusion and the total inelastic reaction channels
have been deduced. Further investigation directions of the nuclear structure of
$^{140}$Ba are also discussed.
