MOLECULAR STAGGERING IN AGH AND ITS DESCRIPTION IN TERMS OF PARITY-SPLIT Q-ROTATOR

It is shown that the Delta J=4 bifurcation effect recently discovered in the superdeformed bands of heavy nuclei also occurs in the rotation al bands of diatomic molecules in the form of a Delta J=2 staggering. A possible explanation for this phenomenon assumes a perturbation betw een rotational levels that can be described in terms of parity-split q -deformed rotators interacting through a q-deformed, J-dependent inter action. The phenomenon is evidenced and the model is illustrated on th e rotational bands of AgH.