Yrast transition strengths in 126Ba

Mean lifetimes of the high spin states in the yrast band of 126Ba were measured by using the Doppler shift attenuation method in connection with the reaction 116Sn (16O, 2p4n)126Ba at a beam energy of 73 MeV. The corresponding normalized B(E2) values are obviously reduced in the vicinity of the backbending. The results are compared with the theoretical predictions based on a realistic nucleon-nucleon interaction.