Superdeformation in the N = z Nucleus 36Ar : Experimental, deformed mean field, and spherical shell model descriptions
A superdeformed rotational band has been identified in 36Ar, linked to known low-spin states, and observed to its high-spin termination at Iπ = 16+. Cranked Nilsson-Strutinsky and spherical shell model calculations assign the band to a configuration in which four pf-shell orbitals are occupied, leading to a low-spin deformation β2 ≈ 0.45. Two major shells are active for both protons and neutrons,