Question of dynamic chirality in nuclei: The case of 134Pr

Lifetimes of exited states in 134Pr were measured by means of the recoil distance Doppler-shift and Doppler-shift attenuation techniques. The branching ratios and the electric or magnetic character of the transitions were also investigated. The experiments were performed at IReS, Strasbourg, using the EUROBALL IV spectrometer, in conjunction with the inner bismuth germanate ball and the Cologne coincidence plunger apparatus. Exited states in 134Pr were populated in the fusion-evaporation reaction 119Sn(19F, 4n)134Pr. The possible chiral interpretation of twin bands was investigated in the two-quasiparticle triaxial rotor and interacting boson-fermion-fermion models. The analysis of the wave functions has shown that the possibility for the angular momenta of the proton, neutron, and core to find themselves in the favorable, almost orthogonal geometry, is present but is far from being dominant. The structure is characterized by large β and γ fluctuations. The existence of doublets of bands in 134Pr can be attributed to weak chirality dominated by shape fluctuations.