The first candidate for chiral nuclei in the A~80 mass region: ⁸⁰Br

Excited states of 80Br have been investigated via the 76Ge(11B, α3n) and 76Ge(7Li, 3n) reactions and a new δI=1 band has been identified which resides ~ 400 keV above the yrast band. Based on the experimental results and their comparison with the triaxial particle rotor model calculated ones, a chiral character of the two bands within the πg9/2⊗ νg9/2 configuration is proposed, which provides the first evidence for chirality in the A~80 region. © 2011 Elsevier B.V.