High-K isomers as probes of octupole collectivity in heavy nuclei

The influence of the octupole deformation on the structure of high-K isomeric states in the region of heavy even-even actinide nuclei is studied through a reflection asymmetric deformed shell model (DSM). Two-quasiparticle states with high-K values are constructed by taking into account the pairing effect through a DSM + BCS procedure with constant pairing interaction. The behaviour of two-quasiparticle energies and magnetic dipole moments of Kπ=6+, 6− and 8− configurations, applicable to mass numbers in the range A=234-252, was examined over a wide range of quadrupole and octupole deformations. A pronounced sensitivity of the magnetic moments to the octupole deformation is found. The result suggests a possibly important role for high-K isomers in determining the degree of octupole deformation in heavy actinide nuclei.