Test of ΔI = 2 staggering in the superdeformed bands of 194Hg

The presence of ΔI = 2 staggering in the three known superdeformed bands of 194Hg has been reexamined in a new experiment with Gammasphere. A relative accuracy of better than 30 eV was achieved for most transition energies. No statistically significant oscillations in the transition energies were found for band 1 while staggering patterns were observed in bands 2 and 3. The statistical significance of the observed effects was analyzed. The patterns display some similarities with expectations based on a band crossing picture, even though such a picture cannot reproduce the observations in a straightforward way. No evidence was found for additional superdeformed bands in 194Hg which could account for possible band-crossings