Spin-Stabilized Deformation in Transitional Nuclei

Nuclei that lie in the transition region between those that display pure single-particle and pure collective behavior at low spins tend to yield to the fictive forces generated by rotation and undergo structural changes. The role of angular momentum in stabilizing exotic shapes in nuclei has been dramatically demonstrated by observation of superdeformation at high spins in the A ≈130, 150, and 190 regions. Current theoretical predictions also …