Spreading widths for superdeformed states in 194Hg and 194Pb -: art. no. 064316

Using several theoretical models, we have obtained estimates for the spreading widths Gamma (!) for the decay out of a superdeformed (SD) band. We pay particular attention to the statistical model by Gu and Weidenmuller. Our results for Hg-194 and Pb-194 are compared to other theoretical predictions and to experimental upperbounds for Gamma (!). We find that the models of Gu and Weidenmuller and of Vigezzi et al. yield a consistent description of the data. We relate Gamma (!) to the strength v of the interaction that couples the normally deformed levels to the SD level at which the decay out of the SD band occurs. Using an exponential spin dependence of v, we are able to reproduce the intraband intensities in the SD bands in Hg-194 and Pb-194.