The Decay Pathways of a Triaxial Strongly Deformed (TSD) Band in $^{168}$Hf

Following the discovery of the wobbling motion in $^{161-167}$Lu, TSD bands in the mass A $\sim$ 165 region have received considerable attention. Previously, three TSD bands were reported in $^{168}$Hf which is the first evidence for triaxial superdeformation in an even proton system [1]. However, none of the bands was linked to known levels. Consequently, the spin/parity, excitation energy, and intrinsic configurations of the bands remain unknown. Recently, we further analysed the $\gamma$-ray coincidence data obtained from the Gammasphere experiment at ANL using a self-supporting target. The decay pathways of TSD2 band to low-spin normal deformed structures have been established. The spin/parity of the band were determined. The results will be discussed based on cranked shell model calculations. Work supported by U.S. DOE grant DE-FG02-95ER40939. \newline [1] H. Amro et al., Physics Letters B 506 (2001) 39-44.