Correlations of the deformation variables beta and gamma in even-even Hf, W, Os, Pt, and Hg nuclei

In the framework of the triaxial rotor model of Davydov and Filippov, deformation parameters beta and gamma are extracted from both level energies and E2 transition rates in even-even Hf-Hg nuclei. Three results emerge: the two sets of beta and gamma values--energy-based and transition-rate-based-are in good agreement, with only a few exceptions, thus giving confidence in the extracted values; both beta and gamma follow smooth trajectories against NpNn; and the beta and gamma values themselves are correlated, pointing to the possibility of a simpler description of structural evolution.