Strength of octupole correlations in the actinides: contrasting behavior in the isotones 237U and 239Pu

A study of high spin states in the odd-neutron isotones 239Pu and 237U is reported. Striking differences were found in the high-spin properties of rotational bands built on the 1/2+[631] ground states in these two nuclei. These differences mirror those observed in the even-even Pu and U immediate neighbors and appear to be related to the strength of octupole correlations.