vh_11/2 bands in ¹¹³Pd and ¹¹⁵Pd

Two cascades of γ rays were discovered in ¹¹³Pd and ¹¹⁵Pd in prompt γ-ray spectroscopy with Gammasphere following heavy-ion induced fission in the reaction ¹⁸O+²⁰⁸Pb at 91 MeV. Comparison with recently observed band structures in ¹⁰⁹Pd and ¹¹¹Pd as well as blocking arguments lead to an interpretation of these bands as νh_11/2 bands. This discovery, together with cranked Woods-Saxon and total Routhian surface calculations, indicates that increased rotational frequency stabilizes a prolate but still γ-soft shape in the neutron-rich, even-even Pd isotopes up to ¹¹⁶Pd, which exhibit very γ-soft nuclear potentials in their respective ground states.