Multistep shell model description of spin-aligned neutron-proton pair coupling

The recently proposed spin-aligned neutron–proton pair coupling scheme is studied within a non-orthogonal basis in term of the multistep shell model. This allows us to identify simultaneously the roles played by other configurations such as the normal pairing term. The model is applied to four-, six- and eight-hole N=Z nuclei below the core 100Sn.