Loss of alignment gain in the πh 9/2[541 1/2−] ⊗ (νi 13/2)2 band in 167Tm and neighbouring odd-Z N = 98 nuclei

Theπh_9/2[541 1/2^?] band in ¹⁶⁷Tm has been studied through the ¹²⁴Sn(⁴⁸Ca, p4n)¹⁶⁷Tm reaction at E _beam = 210 MeV. The favoured signature of the πh_9/2[541 1/2^?] band is observed to spin 61/2h?. A remarkable small gain in aligned angular momentum at the AB-band crossing has been found. The crossing frequency and the gain in aligned angular momentum for ¹⁶⁷Tm are compared with data for the N = 98 isotones of Lu, Ta and Re, and contrasted with Cranked Shell Model predictions, based on frequency diabatic configurations. Large deviations are found for the gain in aligned angular momentum.