The decay-out of superdeformed bands in the A = 190 region. What have we learned?

One-step decay transitions linking the superdeformed (SD) bands 1 and 3 in 194Hg to yrast levels are discussed. Inter-band transitions between bands 1 and 3 have also been identified. For the first time, the spin, parity and excitation energy have been determined for two SD bands in the same nucleus. The low excitation energy of the excited band supports the view that it is based on an octupole excitation. It is believed that Porter-Thomas fluctuations play a major role in determining the strength of the one-step transitions as suggested by the fact that only one other SD band has been linked in the A = 190 mass region (194Pb) at the present time. When Porter-Thomas fluctuations prevent the observation of one-step or two-step linking transitions, as e.g. in the case of 192Hg, the analysis of the quasi-continuous part of the decay-out spectrum provides an alternative method for the determination of the excitation energy and spin of an SD band. This method is discussed in detail. (author)