Spectroscopy of Strongly Deformed Nuclei - From Super to Hyperdeformation

It is possible that some nuclei may attain even greater quadrupole deformations than those observed in superdeformed nuclei and the search for such hyperdeformed shapes has been a goal of nuclear structure for many years. In this talk I will discuss recent developments in the experimental study of superdeformed nuclei and in particular the search for the more exotic hyperdeformed nuclei. I will begin by briefly reviewing the basic concepts connected with nuclei at extreme deformations and introduce the use of intruder occupancy as a method to classify the nuclear shape (normal, super, or hyperdeformed) before turning to our recent attempts to extend these studies from super to hyperdeformations; the focus will be on our work in the cadmium and tin region. Finally, I will say a few words on future prospects. (author)