1.34$&9.52&8.92&$18_1^+\!\rightarrow\!17_1^-$&$18_1^+\!\rightarrow\!18_1^+$ &&&&$3.22\pm 0.21$ &3.05& 2.74&&&&2.13&1.34&&1.17&2.03&&&&$<$5 &18&&31&$<$5

The Table \[T:e1\] shows a few values of the ratio of reduced matrix elements for transitions of the same multipolarity, that can be deduced from the available experimental information. In the same Table, the corresponding values calculated with the present model are also shown (columns “Crit.”), together with the ones expected for a reflection-asymmetric rigid rotor (“Rot.”).

The most direct check of the model predictions would come from the ratios of B(E2) values in the ground–state band. This is possible only in $^{224}$Ra, and only for the decays of the lowest $2^+$ and $4^+$ levels. With the experimental values reported in the NNDC tabulation [@nndc], $B($E2$,2^+\rightarrow 0^+)=97\pm 3$ W.u. and $B($E2$,4^+\rightarrow 2^+)=138\pm 8$ W.u., the experimental value of the ratio is $1.42\pm 0.09$, to be compared with the value 1.41 that is obtained from the calculated matrix elements of Tables \[T:30\] and \[T:e1\] (for $b=0.81$). We remind that, in the X(5) model [@iachello01], this ratio would be 1.59. For $^{226}$Ra, the lifetime of the $4^+$ state is known, but for the first excited state only an approximate value (without error estimate) is reported. Also in this case, the deduced ratio is consistent with the 