Physics of high-spin states in nuclei

The physics of high-spin states in nuclei in terms of broken pairs is discussed. Results of a calculation of the spectrum of the transitional nucleus ${}_{}{}^{194}{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{Hg}$ including one and two broken pairs are presented. Contrary to cranked single-particle models, broken pair calculations can be compared directly with experiments and thus provide a natural framework to analyze experimental data.