Abstract
Results obtained for the energy spectra and the low-lying positive-parity energy eigenstates of the upper p f -shell nuclei 64Ge and 68Se with the use of the effective interaction JUN45 are reported. We address the question of how appropriate is the possibility to construct a symmetry-adapted shell model in a single oscillator shell using a Pairing-plus-Quadrupole Hamiltonian. Specifically, we study the goodness of the symmetries pseudo SU(3) and O(6) in the structure of the energy eigenstates. Finally, we relate our results to a proposed mixed-symmetry approach which is able to simultaneously account for the presence of both the pairing and the quadrupole modes as the most important ingredients in the effective interaction while using a restricted part of the full model space.