The Nuclear Spin Scissors Mode—Theory and Experiment

Abstract

A new type of nuclear collective motion—the spin scissors mode—was predicted seven years ago. Promising signs of its existence in ²³²Th were found. We perform a systematic analysis of experimental data on M1 excitations in rare earth nuclei to find traces of the spin scissors mode in this area. Obvious signs of its existence will be demonstrated. We propose new criteria to attribute the observed 1⁺ states to the scissors mode, entailing that the agreement of the experimental data with the results of our calculations and with the sum rules is improved substantially.