Angular momentum dependence of the parity splitting in nuclei with octupole correlations

Experimental data on the angular momentum dependence of parity splitting of yrast bands in different nuclei are analyzed using a one-dimensional model of octupole motion with axial symmetry. A two parameter formula, based on a solution of the Schrödinger equation with a double-minimum potential, predicts that the parity splitting exponentially decreases with I(I+1) and gives a good fit to these data. Moreover, it relates the observed parity splitting directly to the internal barrier height of the potential.