Test of {Delta}I = 2 staggering in the superdeformed bands of {sup 194}Hg

The presence of {Delta}I = 2 staggering in the three known superdeformed bands of {sup 194}Hg has been reexamined in a new experiment with Gammasphere. A relative accuracy of better than 30 eV was achieved for most transition energies. No statistically significant oscillations in the transition energies were found for band 1 while staggering patterns were observed in bands 2 and 3. The statistical significance of the observed effects was analyzed. The patterns display some similarities with expectations based on a band crossing picture, even though such a picture cannot reproduce the observations in a straightforward way. No evidence was found for additional superdeformed bands in {sup 194}Hg which could account for possible band-crossings