Recent experiments have reached the neutron-rich Cr isotope with $N=40$ and confirmed enhanced collectivity near this subshell. The current data focus on low-spin spectroscopy only, with little information on the states where high-$j$ particles align their spins with the system rotation. By applying the projected shell model, we show that rotation alignment occurs in neutron-rich even-even Cr nuclei as early as spin 8$\hslash$ and, owing to shell filling, the aligning particles differ in different isotopes. It is suggested that observation of irregularities in moments of inertia is a direct probe of the deformed single-particle scheme in this exotic mass region.

• Received 28 July 2010

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.82.031304