Smooth Termination of Collective Rotational Bands

Abstract

Rotational cascades observed in neutron-deficient nuclei with $Z\ensuremath{\approx}51$ are described as the first examples of smoothly terminating bands in heavy nuclei, since they show a continuous transition from high collectivity to a noncollective state. Excellent agreement between experiment and calculations in the Nilsson-Strutinsky cranking model is obtained for the ${}_{51}^{109}{\mathrm{Sb}}_{58}$ nucleus.