Highly deformed high-spin band in I-125

High-spin states in I-125 have been investigated using the reaction Se-82(Ca-48, p4n) at a beam energy of 200 MeV and gamma-ray coincidence events were detected using the Gammasphere spectrometer. A deformed rotational band, extending up to I-pi = 95/2(-), was observed for the first time in a heavier odd-A iodine nucleus. The characteristics of the band are very similar to those of the highly deformed bands observed recently in neighboring nuclei and it is essentially identical to one of the previously known bands in Xe-126. The experimental results are compared to cranked Nilsson-Strutinsky calculations and possible configurations for the band are discussed.