Non-termination of yrast bands at maximum configuration spin in 73Kr

High-spin states in 73Kr were studied at the XTU tandem accelerator of the Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro using the reaction 40Ca(40 Ca,2pn) at a beam energy of 185 MeV. Gamma rays were detected with the EUROBALL spectrometer. Particle detection enabled us to identify the reaction channel leading to 73Kr. The yrast bands of positive and negative parity were established up to probable spins of 61/2+ and 63/2- , respectively. The energies of the two identified bands agree well with the predictions of the configuration-dependent Cranked Nilsson-Strutinsky approximation and indicate that the nucleus remains collective up to the maximum spins of the respective high-spin configurations. The positive-parity band represents one of the rare cases where band non-termination at the highest spin of the configuration could be established experimentally.