Octupole Deformation in 143-146 Barium

Nuclei produced in the fission of $^{252}$Cf at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and measured using the Gammasphere array continue to give insight into neutron rich nuclei. Using our high statistics data, we have reexamined high-spin states and linking transitions associated with octupole deformation in 143-146 Ba. Quadrupole/octupole-mixed-deformation is characterized by two $\Delta $I=1 rotational level bands which are doublets with opposite parities. This is modeled by the simplex quantum number s= $\pm $1 or s= $\pm $i. In $^{143}$Ba, the s= -i levels are extended to 43/2$^{+}$ with a total of six new levels that are discovered along with three new linking transitions consistent with octupole deformation. In $^{144}$Ba, two new levels on top of the s= +1 doublet and one new level with 12 new linking transitions are found to give better evidence for an s= -1 doublet band than was previously reported. Six new levels found in $^{145}$Ba along with two linking transitions extend the s= +i band up to 41/2$^{+}$. The theoretically explained weakening of E1 transition strength in $^{146}$Ba for high-spin states are now re-measured with lower upper limits on the intensities of the E1 transitions.