RECENT STUDIES OF THE HIGH-SPIN QUASI-CONTINUUM

Two new methods, the Rotational Plane Mapping, and the Fluctuation Analysis Method are reviewed, and applied to the study of high spin quasi-continuum states in 167,168Yb and Tm-163 nuclei. New results are given for the rotational damping width GAMMA(rot) and the number of different 2-step-paths below and above U0, defined to be the energy of the borderline between undamped regular rotational motion for bands along the yrast line and the region of heated nuclei with damped rotational motion. The results indicate that at least 30 bands with regular rotational structure exist in the I = 40 h region before damping becomes dominating. The fundamental concept of rotational damping may be questioned, and has never been verified experimentally. The analysis support the damping picture, giving evidence for a strong branching of the E2 decay, showing 10 times as many 2-step-paths through the continuum than expected if only regular rotational E2 decay, and E1 statistical branching were the decay modes.