Two-quasiparticle and collective excitations in transitional ^108,110 Pd nuclei

Abstract.

High-spin states in ^108,110Pd isotopes are studied by $\gamma$-ray spectroscopy of heavy-ion-induced fission. The Pd isotopes are produced in the fission channel of the ³¹P + ¹⁷⁶Yb reaction at beam energy 152 MeV. The prompt $\gamma$-rays are detected with the EUROBALL4 multidetector array. The yrast states of ^108,110Pd have been observed above the region of the first backbend. The level scheme of ¹⁰⁸Pd was extended with a new negative-parity band. The yrast sequence in ¹¹⁰Pd is observed up to spin I = 14 ⁺ and negative-parity bands have also been identified. The backbending in these even-mass Pd isotopes is associated with the alignment of the neutron (h _11/2)² pair. The negative-parity states arise from two neutron configurations $\nu h_{11/2} \otimes \nu g_{7/2}$ and $\nu h_{11/2} \otimes \nu d_{5/2}$ and they are interpreted in the frame of two-quasiparticle + rotor model as semidecoupled bands. The observed experimental staggering in the $\gamma$-bands of ^108,110Pd supports the theoretical predictions for $\gamma$-instability of their shapes.