Identification of High-Spin States in Odd-Odd 126I

Excited states in odd–odd ¹²⁶I have been studied via the heavy–ion induced fusion–evaporation reaction ¹²²Sn(¹¹B,5n2p) at beam energies of 55 and 60 MeV with beams provided by the HI–13 tandem accelerator of CIAE in Beijing.A level scheme consisting of 20 new γ transitions assigned to ¹²⁶I is established.The assignment of the established level scheme to ¹²⁶I is based on the observed coincidences between the newly identified γ–transitions and two previously known cascade γ transitions feeding the ground state of ¹²⁶I, and supported by a cross measurement using the ¹²⁴Sn(^7lI,5n) reaction performed at UTTAC,Japan.The observed structures of ¹²⁶I at high spins show typical properties of collective rotation in a deformed nucleus. their possible configurations are discussed briefly on the basis of knowledge from the neighboring nuclei.