O(6)-symmetry breaking in the {sup 126}Xe nucleus

Low-lying collective excited states of {sup 126}Xe have been investigated via the {sup 12}C({sup 126}Xe, {sup 126}Xe*) Coulomb excitation reaction. Absolute E2 transition strengths have been obtained. These data are compared to the Interacting Boson Model near the O(5) symmetry. The agreement between the measurements and the model, enables us to understand the decay of the low-lying collective states in terms of O(6) and O(5) selection rules and to quantify the amount of O(6)-symmetry breaking in {sup 126}Xe.