PHYSICAL REVIEW C, cilt.73, sa.3, 2006 (SCI-Expanded)
A simple phenomenological model is discussed that simultaneously accounts for the saturation of B(E2; 0(1)(+)-> 2(1)(+)) values and the newly recognized near constancy of g(2(1)(+)) factor values in deformed nuclei. The model invokes reduced effective contributions to these observables from the valence neutrons and protons. Empirical evidence supporting this ansatz comes from recently extracted proton-neutron interaction strengths.