Origin of low-lying enhanced E1 strength in rare-Earth nuclei.

The experimental E1 strength distribution below 4 MeV in rare-earth nuclei suggests a local breaking of isospin symmetry. In addition to the octupole states, additional J^{π}=1^{-} states with enhanced E1 strength have been observed in rare-earth nuclei by means of (γ,γ') experiments. By reproducing the experimental results, the spdf interacting boson model calculations provide further evidence for the formation of an α cluster in medium-mass nuclei and might provide a new understanding of the origin of low-lying E1 strength.