Detailed Spectroscopic Study of the High-Spin Structures in ¹⁶⁸,¹⁶⁹,¹⁷⁰,¹⁷¹W and ¹⁹⁶Hg and a Systematic Examination of Nuclear Structure Behavior of Rare-Earth Isotopes in the A≈160−180 Region

High-spin states in the rare-earth nuclei $^{168,169,170,171}$W (Z=74) were produced via fusion evaporation reactions carried out at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) using the Argonne Tandem Linear Accelerator System (ATLAS). An additional experiment probing the high-spin structure of $^{196}$Hg was conducted at the Florida State University (FSU) tandem-linac facility. The $\gamma$ rays from these experiments were detected and recorded using the Gammasphere spectrometer at ANL and the FSU $\gamma$-ray Array system, respectively. As a result of the analysis, well over 500 new decay transitions and over 300 new energy levels were observed in these nuclei. Whenever possible, the intensities, angular correlations, spins, parities, and rotational behaviors of these newly discovered states were analyzed. Theoretical analysis of the observed structures, including spin, parity, and quasiparticle configurations, was carried out within the framework of the Cranked Shell Model (CSM). Due in part to results obtained from the aforementioned analysis, new systematic data in the A $\approx$ 160 region is also discussed, with an emphasis on the role that pair-blocking effects play during the rotation of the nucleus.