A unified approach to particle-holes and rotations in the spectrum of 16O

The cranked Nilsson-Strutinsky formalism is applied to the many-faceted spectrum of ¹⁶O. The deformation parameters ?, γ and ε₄ are varied independently and many-particle-many-hole excitations are considered in the rotating system. Potential-energy surfaces are presented at different values of spin, parity and signature. Surprisingly good agreement is obtained when the different minima are compared with the measured states. Generally, it is observed that the more particles that are excited to higher shells, the larger becomes the intrinsic deformation. Rotational bands as well as pure p-h excitations, the latter sometimes constituting the termination of a rotational band, are identified. Additional high-spin states (I ? 12) are suggested. A microscopic analysis is performed of the rotational bands which emerge when ¹⁶O in its triaxial 4p-4h configuration rotates around each of its three principal axes.