Nerdear Physics Al79

(1972) 753-768; Q ~orth-~oZ~a~

Polishing

Co., Amsterdam

Not to be reproduced by photoprint or microfilm without written permission from the publisher

NUCLEAR MOMENT

OF INERTIA

AT HIGH ROTATIONAL FREQUENCIES

A. JOHNSON+,

H. RYDE+t

and S.A.HJORTHtff

Research Institute for Physics, Sto~kha~~ Sweden

Received 17 September 1971

Abstract: Members of the ground state rotational bands in the doubly even well-deformed nucleides
*Dy, r6Dy, 16Er and r6Yb are populated in (a, xn) reactions and the variation of the moments
of inertia with the rotational angular velocity is investigated. In three of these mu&ides abrupt
changes in the moment of inertia are observed at high rotational frequencies. This may be interpreted as a phase transition from the superfluid state to a non-supe~~d
state with no pairing
due to the Mottelson-Valat~ Coriolis antipairing effect.

NUCLEAR REACTIONS 15sGd, ieOGd, r61Dy, ieEr (a, x n), E, = 3543 MeV; measured
y y-coincidences.
Dy, r6Dy, 16Er, 168Yb deduced rotational
angular velocity, moment of inertia. Enriched targets, Ge(Li) detectors.

E,, I&E,, O), ay-delay,

1. Introduction
Well-deformed nuclei in their ground states have a moment of inertia which is
typically only about half of the value expected for rigid rotors. This is interpreted
as due to the presence of a strong pairing force between the nucleons in the nucleus.
With increasing frequency of rotation the correlations due to the pairing force are
reduced as a result of the Coriolis anti-pairing effect (the CAP effect) until these
correlations disappear at a critical angular momentum. As a result the moment of
inertia increases with the rotational angular velocity and is expected to adopt the
rigid rotor value at the critical angular momentum. This situation was first predicted
by Mottelson and Valatin I), who estimated that the critical angular momentum
should be around 12 h for Aw 180. Later, theoretical calculations 2-7) predicted
critical angular momenta, which also for some nucleides could be as low as 12 h.
Since the pairing force is stronger for protons than for neutrons two such transitions
may actually take place before the nuclear rotational motion becomes completely
rigid.
A strong experimental indication of this effect has recently been found in the
nucleide 16Dy [ref. 8)], in w hich a sudden change of the moment of inertia towards
the rigid body value is observed at a spin value of 16 h. In the present paper the
+ Present address: The Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
it Institute of Physics, University of Stockholm, Sweden.
Stt Present address: Institut des Sciences Nucleaires, Grenoble, France.
753

754

A. JOHNSON et al.

properties of the moments of inertia will be further discussed. The nucleides *Dy,
16Dy 7 j2Er and 16*Yb have been chosen as an illustration out of an extensive
investigation concerning the behaviour of the ground state rotational bands in
doubly even nucleides in the rare-earth region 9).
A brief report of the present work has been presented at the international conference on heavy-ion physics at Dubna, 1.971 [ref. lo)].
2. ~xpe~i~e~t~

procedure

The moment of inertia for these nuclei may be determ~ed from the energy differences between the members of the ground state rotational band. In the present
work high-spin members of such bands are populated in (a, xn) reactions and the
de-exciting y-rays are detected. In this section the experimental procedure and the
general arguments for placing the observed y-rays into the ground state bands are
presented, leaving the details of the situation which is particular to each nucleide
to be discussed in sect. 3.
In the present experiments self-supporting metallic targets with a thickness of
about 5 mg/cm2 of *Gd, 16Gd, 161Dy and 16Er are irradiated with a-particles
to initiate (CX,
xn) reactions ll). With 43 MeV a-particles enough angular momentum
is brought into the system in such reactions to populate states in the final nucleus
with spin values of up to 20 Ft.The subsequent decay of the compound states takes
place, predominantly, through the ground state rotational bands. The associated
y-ray cascades are detected with Ge(Li) detectors, and the recorded spectra are
analysed by a computer. The energy and efficiency calibrations of the detectors are
performed by using the well-known energies and relative intensities of standard
radioactive sources. Furthermore, the values of the transition energies given in
tables 1-4 are obtained from runs in which two calibration lines are simultaneously
recorded. In this fashion the agreement with the existing precision measurements of
TABLE I
The ground state rotational band in lssDy
Transition

2++
4+-P
4+-+
8+-+
10*--P
12+ -+
14+ -+
16+ -+

o+
2+
4+
6+
8+
10+
12*
14

Energy

Rel. int.

fkev

98.94 +0.01
218.32 +0.02
320.62 +0.04
406.14 +0.08
475.9 &0.3b)
529.3 +0.3
563.3 kO.3
578.0 to.3

368)
112
100
78
54
29
19
11

4/%
0.12kO.03
0.28 *0.02
0.31 kO.02
0.33 +0.02
0.39 +0.06
0.40 to.10
0.32 20.04
0.34 ~0.04

3 No correction made for self-absorption in the target.

) A transition with similar energy occurs also in Dy [ref. a)]

- 0.01 rt:0.03
- 0.07 fr:0.02
-0.10~0.02
-0.11*0.02
-0.10 f0.06
-0.24JrO.13
-0.14 50.04
-0.121;0.04

0.17
0.55
0.69
0.77
0.93
0.99
0.81
(0.87)

NUCLEAR

MOMENT

155

OF INERTIA

TABLE2
The ground state rotational band in 16Dy
Transition

2+-t o+
4++
2f
6++ 4+
8++
6+
lo+-+ 8+
12+ + 10
14+ -+ 12+
16+ -+ 14+
18+ -+ 16+

Energy

Rel. int.

Ocev)

I,

86.79 ,O.Ol
197.02 kO.02 b,
297.4 +0.2
386.0 +0.2
461.7 +0.2
522.8 +0.3
563.5 +0.3
576.7 +0.3
580.5 iO.3

22)
107
100
77
53
32
21
11
4.4

A&,

A&%

0.12 +0.03
0.23 +0.03
0.27 PO.03
0.28 + 0.03
0.31 kO.04
0.32 +0.03
0.34 +0.03
0.33 +0.05
0.33 +0.05

-0.07 *0.02
-0.08 kO.02
-0.10 +0.02
-0.11 kO.02
-0.13+0.03
-0.14+0.03
-0.12 *0.02
-0.12*0.05
-0.15 *0.06

0.16
0.45
0.60
0.65
0.74
0.78
0.86
(0.83)
(0.84)

) No correction made for self-absorption in the target.

b, The 197 keV peak contains also contributions from the I60 (a, p) r9F reaction.
TABLE3
The ground state rotational band in r6Er
Transition

2++
o+
4++
2+
6++ 4+
8+-t 6+
lo++
s+
12+ -+ 10+
14+ --B12+
16+ -+ 14+
18+ -+ 16+

Energy

Rel. int.

(keV)

I?

102.08 kO.10
227.55 kO.10
337.13 +0.10
430.0 +0.2
506.1 kO.2
562.2 kO.3
580.6 rfrO.3
546.6 +0.4
554.2 kO.5

28 )
100
100
75
58
39
19
10
4.2 )

A,&

0.08 +0.03
0.23 kO.03
0.24 +0.03
0.26 kO.03
0.26 kO.04
0.29 f0.03
0.29 IfrO.05
0.30 +o.os
0.27 +0.07

&IA,

-0.05 +0.03
-0.10+0.03
-0.10~004
-0.12 +0.04
-0.12 kO.04
-0.13 +0.04
-0.10 kO.06
-0.12 +0.07
- 0.14 kO.06

0.11
0.45
0.54
0.61
0.63
0.72
0.73
(0.77)
(0.70)

) No correction made for self-absorption in the target.

b, Corrected value. See the text.
TABLE4
The ground state rotational band in 16Yb
Transition

2++
o+
4++
2+
6+-t 4
8++
6
10+-t s+
12++ 10+
14 -+ 12+
16+--t 14.+
18+ + 16+

Energy

Rel. int.

(keV)

I,

87.73 +0.01
198.82 kO.02
298.75 +0.07
384.75 *0.10
455.4 kO.2
510.5 f0.5b)
552.6 +0.3
584.5 +0.3
613.8 +0.4

&IA,

A&,

163
104
100
90
62

0.12 kO.05
0.25 +0.04
0.28 +0.04
0.30 kO.04
0.32 f0.04

-0.10*0.04
-0.02 +0.03
- 0.03 *0.03
- 0.05 kO.03
- 0.04 *0.03

0.17
0.49
0.63
0.70
0.77

27
12
3.9

0.31,0.04
0.27 +0.05
0.34 kO.06

-0.12 *0.03
-0.12 +0&I
- 0.26 kO.06

0.78
(0.69)
(0.88)

) No correction made for self-absorption in the target.

) The 511 keV peak contains also contributions from annihilation radiation.

1.56

A. JOHNSON

et al.

the low-energy transitions is in all cases very satisfactory. The values for the lowenergy transitions given in the tables are the best found in the literature. The uncertainty in the relative intensities for the most intense lines is estimated to be less
than 10%.
The information obtained from the variation of the relative y-ray intensities with
the energy of the incident beam can be useful in two ways. Firstly, an unambiguous
assignment of each y-ray transition to a definite daughter nucleide can be made
and secondly, the relative yield of the y-rays at the various a-particle energies can be
used to obtain rough spin assignments. A higher bombarding energy is needed-that
is, a larger angular momentum has to be brought into the system- in order to increase
the population of the high-spin states.
The probability of populating levels with different spin values in the daughter
nucleus can be calculated by making statistical assumptions about the neutron
evaporation process I). Since in the (a, xn) processes the angular momentum removed
by the primary undetected y-rays is small, the side feeding into the ground state band
can be compared with the calculated spin distribution curve. A good agreement
between the two curves supports the interpretation.
In the (heavy ion, xn) reactions the spins of the final nuclei are aligned in a plane
perpendicular to the incident beam 13).As a result the emitted y-radiation shows an
angular anisotropy which depends on the spin values of the initial and the final states
as well as on the multipoles which are of importance in the radiation field. In the
present experiment the angular distributions of the emitted y-rays are studied in the
angular range between 90 and 155. The normalisation of the spectra is based on
the intensity of the K X-rays, the distribution of which is assumed to be isotropic. An
independent way of normalisation is obtained from the number of elastically scattered
a-particles which are recorded in two monitor detectors positioned at t-25 relative
to the axis of the beam. In the present experiments the two means of normalisation
are found to agree to within a few percent.
The observed angular distributions are fitted with the expression
W(0) = A, + AT a2 Pz (cos 0) + AT

LX,P4(cos 0))

(1)

where Ay and A: are the coefficients expected for complete alignment, while
CI~and a4 are attenuation factors expressing the degree of alignment. It is expected
that these attenuation factors are positive numbers which are less than unity and that
they vary smoothly within the rotational band14).
It is essential to make sure that the transitions, proposed to belong to the ground
state band, do not de-excite an isomeric state e.g. a two-quasiparticle state. In order
to investigate this point the decay of the y-ray intensity between the natural pulses
of the cyclotron beam is studied 15). For the nuclei discussed here no delayed transitions are observed with half-lives longer than the experimental limit of 20ns.
Furthermore, if a low-lying two-quasiparticle state were populated with an observable intensity the decay into the ground state band would in most cases proceed

NUCLEAR

MOMENT

OF INERTIA

1.51

through more than one branch. No such cross-over transitions are found in our
singles spectra.
Finally, further support for the suggested rotational bands is gained from the
results of two-dimensional y-y coincidence experiments 16) performed with two
43 cm3 Ge(Li) detectors placed symmetrically at about f 125 relative to the incident
beam. The resolving time is about 90ns. The coincidence events are stored in a
4000 x 4000 channel matrix and can be analysed by introducing gates on one of the
axes. In the present experiments gates are placed on all the main peaks in the spectrum
and for each peak also on a carefully chosen part of the adjacent background. By
subtracting the background spectrum a genuine coincidence spectrum is obtained
for each peak.
Qualitative conclusions can be drawn from these spectra concerning the coincidence relations between the y-ray peaks involved. Indications concerning the
position of a y-transition within a cascade can be obtained, as the relative intensities
of the transitionsfollowing the gate transition must be equal, while those for the transitions preceeding the gate transition should be the same as in the singles spectrum.
3. The ground state rotational bands
In this section the arguments for assigning the observed y-rays to the ground
state rotational bands are discussed separately for the four nucleides 15Dy, 16Dy,
16Er and 16*Yb. As mentioned in sect. 1 these nucleides have been chosen for the
present investigation because they show a quite different behaviour of the band
structure near the top of the bands and any theoretical description will ultimately
have to explain these differences. It should be stressed here that the majority of the
nuclei studied until now exhibits a behaviour similar to the one of 16Yb, i.e. the
moment of inertia is a smooth and single-valued function of the rotational frequency.
3.1. THE NUCLEIDE

Dy

The transitions within the ground state rotational band of ls8Dy have been
observed up to spin 12 in various reactions 17). In the present investigation a target
with the composition 0.25% 155Gd, 0.56% 15(jGd, 0.81% 157Gd, 97.58% Cd
and 0.81% 16Gd is irradiated with the full-energy or-particle beam (43 MeV). Unfortunately, this energy is not high,enough to reach the maximum of the excitation
function for the (a, 4n) reaction, and consequently the intensities of the transitions
occuring in the neighbouring odd-N nucleide 15Dy and reached in the (a, 3n) reaction are still appreciable. Fig. 1 shows the singles y-ray spectrum obtained with the
43 MeV cc-particle beam.
At a bombarding energy of 39 MeV the y-rays due to transitions in 15Dy dominate
the spectrum. In spite of the fact that the relative intensities of these transitions are
well known 18)it is difficult to get anything more than a qualitative picture from the
excitation functions for the transitions assigned to Dy. However, the conclusions

A. JOHNSON

7.58

104

43 MeV alpha

particles

on Gd

m
I- O-

&

l
$

f
*m

T
b

t?f
+z p +g

++

406.l4

iv
ZS

1
7-

'

et al.

6-

';

',

t
&

t
t,

t
L

4759

CK

100

200

300

400

500

CHANNEL

600

700

SO0

B900

NUMBER

Fig. 1. Singles y-ray spectrum from the bombardment

of lssGd with 43 MeV a-particles. The transitions
assigned to the ground state band in ls8Dy are indicated. The number of counts shown is the content of
three original channels.

43 MeV alpha particles on 15*Gd

Coincidence measurements

CHANNEL
Fig. 2. Coincidence

spectra

showing

NUMBER

the lssDy ground state band.

578.0 keV peaks.

The gates are set on the 563.3 and

NUCLEAR

MOMENT

OF INERTIA

759

which can be drawn support the assignments given in table 1, where, besides the
energies, also the relative intensities of the transitions are given. The falling off of
the relative intensities with increasing spin follows the trend obtained from the
calculation of the spin distribution curve ).
The analysis of the angular distribution measurement gives as a result coefficients
and attenuation factors (table 1) which support the assignment of a stretched cascade
of E 2 transitions depopulating a 16+ state. Finally, the results of the y-y coincidence
experiments displayed in fig. 2 show unambiguously that the 563.5 and 578.0 keV
transitions are in coincidence with all the transitions in the cascade from the 12+
state.
It may thus be concluded that a stretched cascade of E2 transitions is observed
within the ground state band up to the 16+ member in 15Dy. A similar observation
has been made by Ejiri et al. I) and more recently by Thieberger et al. O). As is seen
in figs. 1 and 2 the regular pattern of the transition energies is broken when the 16+
state is reached.
3.2. THE NUCLEIDE

=Dy

A singularity even more pronounced than the one referred to above for the nucleus
is8Dy has recently been reported and briefly discussed ) for 16Dy. This nucleus
is reached in an (u, 4n) reaction on an enriched (about 87%) 16Gd target. The
maximum cross section for this reaction occurs near a bombarding energy of 43 MeV.
The singles y-ray spectrum is shown in fig. 3 and the transition energies and relative
intensities are given in table 2.
The variation of the relative intensities of the y-rays, due to transitions in 16Dy,
with the energy of the incident beam is investigated. The excitation functions, thus
obtained, are displayed in fig. 4 and provide a support for the spin assignments made
in table 2. The knowledge of the variation of the relative y-ray intensities from the
jGd(a, 3n)161Dy reaction ) is most useful in this analysis.
The relative intensities of the y-rays given in table 2 decrease with increasing spin
in the manner expected from the calculated spin distribution curve. This point is
demonstrated in fig. 2 of ref. ), from which it may also be concluded that the expected
intensity of the 20+ -+ 18+ transition is too small to be observable with 43 MeV
a-particles.
The angular distribution coefficients and the attenuation factors given in table 2
agree with the expectations for quadrupole transitions cascading down in a rotational
band. As an example of the results of the y-y coincidence experiments, the spectra
obtained with the gate on the 576.7 and 580.5 keV peaks, are presented in fig. 5.
These spectra show how the 576.7 and the 580.5 keV peaks-assigned
as due to the
16+ + 14+ and 18+ + 16+ transitions, respectively-are
in coincidence with each
other and with the rest of the transitions forming the rotational band. Furthermore,
it can be concluded that in the coincidence spectra the transition intensities agree
with expectations within the errors of the measurements.

760

MD

100

600

800

1030
1200
1400
CHANNEL
NUMBER

1500

1800

2000

2200

ZOO

ma

2800

3000

3200

3030

Fig. 3. Singles y-ray spectrum from the bombardment

of 16Gd with 43 MeV cc-particles. The transitions
assigned to 16Dy are indicated. Every second,data
point is plotted.

Excitation

functions

16+-16+
16+-v++
14+-12+

15

12+-10+

'ig$
4+-z+

2+-o+

10

)
43
Fig. 4. Excitation

functions

for transitions

E,(MeV)

in 16Dy.

It may then be concluded that the smooth changes in the transition energies within
the ground state rotational band in 16Dy is suddenly interrupted when the 16+ and
18+ members are reached, which is clearly seen in fig. 3.
3.3. THE NUCLEIDE

16Er

The ground state rotational band of 16Er has previously been observed up to
the 12+ member in (a, xn) reactions , 23). In the present work the identification of
this band up to the 18+ member is proposed and the data indicate for the first time

NUCLEAR MOMENT OF INERTIA

150

43

t-w

Coincidence

alpha

particles

on

761

Gd

measurements

140
130
120

:.

500
CHANNEL

NUMBER

Fig. 5. Coincidence spectra showing the cascade deexciting the ground state band in 16Dy. The gates are
set on the 576.7 and 580.5 keV peaks. The background is not subtracted in this case.

a case where the transition energies at the top of the band actually decrease with
increasing values of angular momentum.
The irradiated target has the composition 0.6 % 16Dy, 90.0 % 161Dy, 7.7 % 16Dy,
3 n) reaction
1.1% 163Dy and 0.6 % 164Dy and the maximum cross section for the (CC,
leading to excited levels in nj2Er occurs at an a-particle energy of about 39 MeV.
However, in order to introduce as much angular momentum as possible into the
final nuclei, the full-energy a-particle beam is used in the 162Er experiments as well.
This, of course, introduces competition from the (a, 4n) reaction leading to 161Er
and results in a rather complex singles y-ray spectrum. However, as the y-radiation
due to transitions in 161Er as well as in 163Er has recently been studied by the same
technique 23), it is possible to reveal the properties of the transitions in j2Er. In
order to facilitate this study, a small X-ray Ge(Li) detector with an energy resolution
of 1.3 keV for 600 keV y-rays is used to record the singles y-ray spectrum shown in
fig. 6.
As can be seen from fig. 6, the part of the y-ray spectrum which is of special interest,
that is the region between 540 and 590 keV, is fairly complex. The peaks at 562.2 and
580.6 keV, assigned as being due to the 12+ -+ lO+ and 14+ -+ 12+ transitions, are
well resolved and show excitation functions (fig. 7) which strongly support the spin
assignments made. On the other hand the peak at 546.6 keV, which is proposed to
represent the 16+ -+ 14+ decay, has two very close-lying neighbouring peaks at
545.2 and 547.5 keV. These peaks have earlier been reported 23) as being due to
transitions in 163Er and 161Er. Finally, it is known from earlier experiments 23) that
a transition with the energy 554 keV occurs in 163Er. However, the area of the

A. JOHNSON

43 MeV

et al.

alpha partlcles

on 16Dy

Fig. 6. Singles y-ray spectrum from the bombardment

of 161Dy with 43 MeV cc-particle recorded with a
high-resolution
X-ray Ge(Li) detector. The transitions
assigned to the ground state band in 16Er arc
indicated. The number of counts shown is the content of three original channels.

554.2 keV peak is larger than can be expected if it were due to only the 163Er transition
and it has furthermore a line width which is somewhat larger than that for the other
peaks in this energy region.
The peaks due to transitions in 161Er are present in the y-ray spectrum essentially
as the result of (a, 4n) reactions on 161Dy and the areas of these peaks depend much
more strongly on the a-particle energy than the areas of the peaks involving the
high-spin states in the (a, 3n) reaction. This is also the case for the 547.5 keV peak.
The final nucleide 163Er on the other hand is reached partly through (LX,
2n) reactions
on 161Dy which occurs with a small cross section at this energy and partly through
(a, 3 n) and (CC,
4n) reactions on 16Dy and 163Dy which appear as impurities in the
target. Hence, the excitation functions for transitions in 163Er are very complex.
However, the variation, with the a-particle energy, of the intensity of the 545.2 keV
peak, which is due to a transition involving high-spin states in 163Er, gives an empirical
hint about the behaviour of these functions.
The excitation function for the 546.6 keV peak (fig. 7) shows a behaviour such
that it is natural to propose the y-ray as being due to the 16++14+ transition in
r6Er The peak at 554.2 keV, however, being at least partly due to a transition in
163Er; has an excitation function which falls between those marked 16+ --f 14+ and
14+ -+ 12+ in fig. 7. Since close-lying peaks due to transitions in 163Er are identified 23),
e.g. the 545.2 keV peak, an estimate of the intensity of the component of the 554.2 keV
peak, which emanates from the transition in 163Er, can be made. Such an estimate

NUCLEAR

MOMENT

163

OF INERTIA

indicates that at 39 MeV bombarding energy, roughly about 40% of the counting
rate in the 554.2 keV peak is due to the 163Er transition, while at 43 MeV this part
has decreased to about 20 %. If the remaining intensity in this peak is assigned to a
transition in 16Er the corrected excitation function, indicated in fig. 7, is obtained.
It is seen that the agreement with the expected curve for the 18+ --p16+ transition
in 16Er is now remarkably good. Therefore the excitation function data do not
contradict the assignment of the 554.2 keV transition as the 18+ + 16+ transition in
j2Er.
Excitation

functions

o ,6+_,6+
(corrected1

2.0
16+-U+
;
::
14+-12+
12+-lo+

-E,(MeV)
39

Fig. 7. Excitation

functions

for transitions

43

assigned

to the ground

state band in 16Er.

The data for the y-rays which are proposed to be due to transitions within the
ground state band in 162Er up to the 18+ level are summarized in table 3. The relative
intensities of these y-rays agree with the calculated spin distribution curve.
The values of the angular distribution coefficients and attenuation factors in
table 3 again agree with expectations for a cascade of E2 transitions depopulating
a rotational band. These coefficients have been deduced from a measurement with a
43 cm3 Ge(Li) detector at 43 MeV bombarding energy, and for the 546.6 and 554.2 keV
transitions, it is the complex peaks which have been analysed. However, experiments
performed with the X-ray detector at 90 and 125 relative to the beam axis give
support to the values in table 3. For the 554.2 keV transition, of course, the uncertainty due to the estimated 20 % admixture remains.
The results of the y-y coincidence experiments with the gates on the 580.6, 546.6
and 554.2 keV peaks are shown in fig. 8. The qualitative conclusion may be drawn
from these results that all three y-rays are emitted in coincidence with each other and
with the y-ray cascade from spin 12 to spin 0 within the ground state rotational band.
Furthermore, the peaks at 546.6 and 554.2 keV have the same relative intensities as
in the singles spectrum, when the gates are placed on the 562.2 and 580.6 keV peaks.
On the other hand the relative intensities of the y-rays appearing in coincidence with
the 546.6 and 554.2 keV peaks are all the same to within the experimental uncertainties.

A. JOHNSON

et al.

43MeV alpha particles on 161Dy

coincidence measurements

0
Fig. 8. Coincidence

100
spectra

200

300
CHANNEL

400
NUMBER

500

600

700

showing the cascade deexciting the ground state band in 16Er. The gates are
set on the 580.6, 546.6 and the 554.2 keV peaks.

This indicates that all transitions belong to the same cascade and occur in the
order given in table 3.
The possibility that the 546.6 keV transition feeds the 14+ level in the ground state
rotational band from a high-spin two-quasiparticle state seems unlikely as all the
transitions involved are faster than the experimental limit of 20 ns. Furthermore, no
cross-over transitions that can feed into other levels in the ground state band are
found.
Levels in 16Er have recently also been investigated through the 148Nd(180,4n) 16Er
and the 150Nd(160, 4n)162Er reactions 24). Enriched targets were bombarded with
72-76 MeV oxygen ions from the Risd tandem accelerator. The y-ray singles spectra
contain the same peaks as are seen in the (a, 3n) reaction and the results of the y-7 coincidence experiments also strongly support the assignment of the 546.6 and 554.2 keV
peaks as the 16+ -+ 14+ and 18++ 16+ transitions.
It may thus be concluded that there is strong evidence that a stretched cascade of
E2 transitions is observed which constitute the ground state rotational band of
162Er up to the level with spin and parity 18+.

NUCLEAR MOMENT OF INERTIA

L3 MeV alpha

particles

on

155

16Er

100

200

300

100

500

CHANNEL

600

700

800

900

1000

NUMBER

Fig. 9. Singles y-ray spectrum from the bornb~~en~

of 16Er with 43 MeV or-particles. The transitions
assigned to the ground state band in 168Yb are indicated. The number of counts shown is the content of
three original channels.

3.4. THE ~UCLEIDE

=Yb

The ground state rotational band of 168Yb has earlier been observed 2) up to the
lO+ member. In the present study this band is populated in an (a, 3 n) reaction on an
167Er target with the composition: 5.8% 166Er, 87.2% 167Er, 6.4% 16Er and
0.5 % 17Er.
The singles y-ray spectrum obtained with a 43 cm3 Ge(Li) detector at a bombar~ng
energy of 43 MeV is shown in fig. 9. The data presented in table 4 agree with expectations from the assignments. The excitation functions for these transitions are shown
in fig. 10 and agree well with the spin assignments as indicated. The peak due to the
12+ -+ 10 transition at 510.5 keV almost coincides with the peak due to the annihilation radiation. The excitation function for this transition is therefore excluded in
fig. 10.
In the y-y coincidence experiment all transitions up to and including the 584.5 keV
transition are in coincidence with each other. The statistical accuracy is unfortunately
not sufficient in the present experiment to firmly establish the presence of the 613.8 keV
peak in the coincidence spectrum.
In the present case, the ground state rotational baud has most probably been
observed up to its 18+ member, and it is interesting to note the behaviour of the
band at the top_ Unlike the cases discussed above, the band in 16*Yb shows no sign
of deviations from the smooth trend of the transition energies.

766

A. JOHNSON et af.

Excitation

functions

@%b

16+-1.4+
U*~l2+

~EEl(MeVI
39
Fig. 10. Excitation functions for t~ansjtions in *@Yb.

4. Analysis of the data and discussion

It is now interesting to derive the moments of inertia from the data presented
above and to investigate how they change as the rotational angular velocity of the
nucleus varies?. This angular velocity is defined by the canonical relation appropriate
for an axial symmetric rotor
dE
which may be written as
~2~~~~=4Z(Z+~) [ ~~~)32.
The moment of inertia of the nucleus is defined by the relation
$Orot=TZfm.

(4)

By combining eqs. (3) and (4) the following expression for the moment of inertia is
obtained
(5)
g=[dZ:l)j-The energy derivative appearing in eqs. (3) and (5) is calculated from the observed
transition energies [E(4)--E(Zi -211 on the assumption that the total rotational
energy can be described with su~cient accuracy by an expression which is at the
most quadratic in Z(Z+ 1) over the interval between Zi and Zi- 2. This means that in
the middle of this interval where
Z(z+1)=~[zi(zi+l)+(z~-2)(zi-1)]=z~-zi+1,

(6)

one has the relation

[ dZ~l)l,il+l,_l~_ii+l

= E(Zil;l,E_(:,-2)

+ This presentation follows closely a suggestion by A. Bohr and B. R. Mottelson.

(7)

NUCLEAR
23
h2
Me@

MOMENT

MOMENT

OF INERTIA

FOR

161

OF INERTIA

ROTATING

DEFORMED

NUCLEI

80 -

002

004

006

01l8

(hw?
Fig. 11. The observed

moments

of inertia

as a function

010

MeV*

of the square

012

of the angular

velocity.

The moments of inertia are derived in this manner and plotted in fig. 11 as a
function of the square of the rotational frequency. While a smooth increase of the
moment of inertia with the angular velocity is observed for 168Yb there appears, as
has already been pointed out in ref. 8), a dramatic change for 16Dy. A similar steep
increase may be imagined for 158Dy . However, in 162Er the increase in the moment
of inertia is so rapid that the rotational frequency actually decreases as higher spin
states are reached. This back-bending behaviour (fig. 11) is for the first time observed
here.
These rapid changes in the moment of inertia can be interpreted in terms of a
phase transition due to the Coriolis anti-pairing effect from a pair-correlated or
superfluid state to a normal state without pair correlations. In this state the nuclei
are expected to rotate with the rigid body value for the moment of inertia. The latter
values are also given in fig. 11 calculated at a deformation appropriate to .cc)= 0. The
present situation may thus be compared to the phase transitions observed in macroscopic systems, for example, a superconductor in a magnetic field.
In the theoretical calculations of the moment of inertia the Coriolis anti-pairing
effect is often treated in the BCS approximation. This may be a reasonable approach
as long as the pairing is strong, but in situations like the ones we are faced with here,
where the pairing gap approaches zero, the BCS solution is a poor approximation.
A considerable improvement for weak pairing has recently been obtained by Soren-

768

A. JOHNSON et nl.

sen 26) who introduced a simpli~ed generator coordinate wave function. As a straight
forward result of the Sorensen approach, back-bending curves like the one found for
16Er (fig. 11) are reproduced, depending on the value of the pairing gap parameter.
Recently, Krumlinde and Szymanski 27) have suggested a model for nuclear rotation
at high angular momenta which also reproduces the back-bending curve. Effects of
this kind have also been obtained by Stephens ) in a Coriolis-mixing calculation
taking into account only two-quasiparticle states. The features of the back-bending
curve is also being studied by Wahlborn).
The authors are very much indebted to Professors
for many constructive and enlightening discussions
during the course of this work. We should also
A. Bohr and RR. Mottelson for their enthusiastic
presentation of the data.

R. A. Sorensen and Z. Szymanski

on the properties of these nuclei

like to acknowledge Professors
interest and suggestions for the

References
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
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