Excited states in ${}^{46}\mathrm{Cr}$ were sought using the ${}^{12}\mathrm{C}$(${}^{36}\mathrm{Ar}$,$2n$) reaction. Gamma rays were detected with the Gammasphere array, and the $Z$ value of the reaction products was determined with an ionization chamber located at the focal plane of the Fragment Mass Analyzer. In addition to the ground-state band observed up to $I^{\pi }={10}^{+}$ (tentatively ${12}^{+}$), five states are proposed to belong to the $3^{-}$ band. The mirror energy differences with the analog states in ${}^{46}\mathrm{Ti}$ present a pronounced staggering effect between the odd and even spin members that is reproduced well by shell-model calculations incorporating the different Coulomb contributions, monopole, multipole, and single-particle effects together with an isospin-nonconserving interaction that accounts for the so-called $J=2$ anomaly. Dramatically different $E1$ decay patterns for members of the $3^{-}$ band between the ${}^{46}\mathrm{Cr}$ and ${}^{46}\mathrm{Ti}$ mirrors are also observed.

• Received 5 October 2006

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.75.014307