Competing Quasiparticle and Collective Structures in the Transitional Nuclei 102,104Cd

The competition and cooperation of g_9/2 proton holes and neutron particles in high-j and low-j orbits has been studied by means of extensive lifetime measurements of high-spin states in ^102,104Cd. The competition leads to strongly retarded E2 strengths between states below spin 8, while the spin alignment of proton holes and neutrons above spin 10 results in magnetic dipole bands with M1 strengths of 0.2-2 Wu. Shell model and Interacting Boson plus Broken Pair model calculations have been performed.