High spin spectroscopy in 219Ra: Search for the lower mass boundary of the region of statically octupole-deformed nuclei.

We report the results of a study of rotational bands in 219Ra via the 208Pb(14C,3n) reaction to look for evidence that this nucleus is statically octupole deformed. We add 19 γ rays not previously observed to the level scheme and extend the two most strongly populated alternating parity bands to J=51/2 and 45/2. The magnitude of the energy splitting between the spin-parity doublets in the two bands appears to exclude the possibility that 219Ra has a static octupole deformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]