Triaxial Strong Deformation and Wobbling Motion

In this chapter, we will consider the rotational motion in triaxial quadrupole deformed nuclei. The quest to establish stable triaxial shapes in nuclei is being pursued with keen interest during the last about half-a-century. In the initial phases for it, the structures of energy levels at relatively low angular momenta were considered. Generally, the deviations from axially symmetric shape are expected at high spins [1] since the rotational effects are strong for high-j orbitals. The loss of axial symmetry affects a number of observables. For a nucleus having a stable triaxial shape, different moments of inertia are associated with each of the principal axes and the rotational motion is possible about all the three axes. Therefore, the rotational spectra are expected to be richer for stable triaxial nuclei as compared to that for axially symmetric deformed nuclei. Experimentally, it is difficult to find a unique evidence for the stable triaxial shapes.