Evidence for second-phonon nuclear wobbling

Phys Rev Lett. 2002 Sep 30;89(14):142503. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.89.142503. Epub 2002 Sep 16.

Abstract

The nucleus 163Lu has been populated through the reaction 139La(29Si,5n) with a beam energy of 157 MeV. Three triaxial, strongly deformed (TSD) bands have been observed with very similar rotational properties. The first excited TSD band has earlier been assigned as a one-phonon wobbling excitation built on the lowest-lying (yrast) TSD band. The large B(E2)(out)/B(E2)(in) value obtainable for one of four observed transitions between the second and first excited TSD bands is in good agreement with particle-rotor calculations for a two-phonon wobbling excitation.