HIGH-SPIN STATES AND K-FORBIDDEN DECAY IN HF-172

High-spin states were populated in Hf-172 With the Ca-48+Te-128 reacti on at 200 and 214 MeV. All of the known rotational bands in Hf-172 hav e been extended and five new rotational bands have been observed using the Gammasphere spectrometer. This study establishes the highest know n state in Hf-172 at spin 44HBAR. One of the new bands is a K-pi=(14()) strongly coupled rotational band. In conflict with the K-selection rule another newly established bandhead state, with spin I=K=12, is ob served to gamma decay directly to the yrast 12(+) state. This large br eakdown in the K-selection rule (Delta K approximate to 12) may be due to a mixing between the low- and high-g states in Hf-172.