VERY EXTENDED SHAPES IN THE A-SIMILAR-TO-156 MASS REGION

Calculations have been carried out in a four dimensional deformation s pace to investigate a possible observation of hyperdeformed nuclear sh apes in Dy-152 and/or Dy-153. Th, calculations suggest that the explan ation of the experimental observations is not a hyperdeformed shape. A n analysis of somewhat heavier nuclei shows minima characterized by ro tational bands having moments of inertia similar to 10-15% larger than that of the well known superdeformed band in Dy-152.