Octupole deformation in neutron-rich barium isotopes

Partial decay schemes for the very neutron-rich nuclei 142,144Ba and Ba146 have been determined by the study of - coincidences in Cf252 fission fragments. Interlaced positive- and negative-parity levels connected by fast electric dipole transitions are observed in Ba144 and Ba146 above spin 7Latin small letter h with stroke. This is similar to the situation in some light actinide nuclei, where the data have been interpreted in terms of reflection-asymmetric shapes