Identification of excited states in doubly odd110Sb: Smooth band termination

Excited states in {sup 110}Sb have been identified for the first time in a series of {gamma}-spectroscopy experiments using both thin and backed targets, including neutron-fold and recoil-mass measurements to provide unambiguous channel identification. The three decoupled intruder bands observed in {sup 110}Sb are based upon configurations involving 2p-2h excitations across the Z=50 shell gap and show the features of smooth band termination. The yrast intruder band, which has been connected to the low-spin levels, is tentatively identified up to its predicted termination at I{sup {pi}}=45{sup +}. Excellent agreement with configuration-dependent cranked Nilsson-Strutinsky calculations is obtained for the high-spin states near termination. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}