Bifurcations in the rotational spectra of odd nuclei

A critical phenomenon, of which bifurcation is the classical analog, has been found in the rotational bands of highly-deformed odd nuclei. Analysis of the classical and quantum-mechanical pictures of the phenomenon shows that it is accompanied by a change in correlation between the total and single-nucleon angular momentum vectors. The qualitative changes found in the energy spectrum and electromagnetic M1 transition probabilities can be used to demonstrate the quantum-mechanical bifurcation in high-spin states of odd nuclei. Experimental data that indicate the existence of bifurcation in the bands of odd-neutron isotopes of ytterbium are presented