Identification of excited states in doubly odd110Sb: Smooth band termination

Excited states in ${}^{110}$Sb have been identified for the first time in a series of $\gamma$-spectroscopy experiments using both thin and backed targets, including neutron-fold and recoil-mass measurements to provide unambiguous channel identification. The three decoupled intruder bands observed in ${}^{110}$Sb are based upon configurations involving 2p-2h excitations across the $Z=50\mathrm{}$ shell gap and show the features of smooth band termination. The yrast intruder band, which has been connected to the low-spin levels, is tentatively identified up to its predicted termination at $I^{\pi }{=45\mathrm{}}^{+}$. Excellent agreement with configuration-dependent cranked Nilsson-Strutinsky calculations is obtained for the high-spin states near termination.