ON THE SEARCH FOR THE SCISSORS MODE

Results from quasiparticle RPA calculations on 1+ excitations in defor med nuclei, including M1 transition densities and (e, e') form factors , are compared to the microscopic representation of the scissors state of the two-rotor model. Although this state is too collective, especi ally in heavy nuclei, it fragments mainly over the low lying orbital M 1 excitations, which can be interpreted as a manifestation of a weakly collective scissors mode. The experimentally observed strongest M1 ex citation has the same leading components in the wave function as the s cissors state, the largest overlap with it, and similar transition den sity and form factor. Although the scissors mode is more pronounced in heavy deformed nuclei, the strong low lying orbital M1 excitations in lighter nuclei represent a better approximation to it, because the sc issors state is less collective in light nuclei.