OBSERVATION OF IDENTICAL SUPERDEFORMED BANDS IN N=86 NUCLEI

Excited superdeformed bands have been observed in the N=86 isotones Gd150 and Tb151. The properties of these bands were found to closely resemble those of the yrast superdeformed bands in their Z+1 N=86 isotones (151Tb and Dy52) such that, on average, the transition energies are identical to an accuracy of 1:1000. It is proposed that these excited superdeformed bands are based on single-proton excitations from the [301]1/2 orbital into the [651]3/2 intruder orbital and thus they are the first obsrevation of proton excitations in superdeformed nuclei. © 1990 The American Physical Society.