Resolution of theisomer179anomaly: Exposure of a Fermi-alignedsband

The ${\mathit{K}}^{\mathrm{\pi }}$=35/$2^{\mathrm{-}}$, five-quasiparticle isomer in ${}_{}{}^{179}{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{W}$ is shown to decay into the region of a backbend in the 7/$2^{\mathrm{-}}$[514] band, allowing for the first time the identification of a full set of aligned-band states. Destructive interference results from level mixing in the band-crossing region. The deduced γ-ray branching ratios are used to establish the mixing matrix elements and to show that the aligned band has a high value of the K quantum number. The properties of well-defined alignment and yet also high K provide the first clear example of a Fermi-aligned s band. The anomalous decay of the isomer itself is now explained.