Single-particle structures, high-spin isomers, and a strongly coupled band in odd-odd Sb-120

Excited states in Sb-120 have been investigated using the Cd-116(Li-7,3n)Sb-120 reaction at a beam energy of 34 MeV. A total of 15 new gamma rays were added into the level scheme of Sb-120. Most of the observed single-particle states can be interpreted in terms of weak coupling of the odd proton and odd neutron to an excited Sn-118 core involving either vibrational states or broken neutron pairs. The previously known strongly coupled rotational band based on the pi g(9/2)(-1) circle times nu h(11/2) configuration has been extended up to the (15(-)) state. The configuration-fixed constrained triaxial relativistic mean-field approaches and the particle rotor model are employed to discuss the high-spin isomers and strongly coupled rotational band, respectively.