ROTATION OF AN 8-QUASI-PARTICLE ISOMER

A T-1/2 = 220 ns, eight-quasiparticle isomer, with four unpaired neutr ons and four unpaired protons, has been established at an excitation e nergy of 6576 keV in the prolate deformed nucleus, W-178. The associat ed rotational band has also been identified, revealing the collective properties in the presence of blocked pairing correlations, with expec ted quenching of the nuclear superfluidity. The band retains a small d egree of rotational alignment, and has a less-than-rigid dynamic momen t of inertia.