Charge-exchange transitions in hot nuclei

A formalism based on the thermo field dynamics and allowing one to treat thermal effects on the strength distribution of charge-exchange transitions in hot nuclei is developed. The strength distributions of the allowed and first-forbidden p → n transitions are calculated for the neutron-rich nucleus ⁸⁰Ge at different temperatures. Then the electron capture rates on the same nucleus are calculated at temperatures and densities corresponding to an advanced stage of stellar evolution. Published in Russian in Yadernaya Fizika, 2009, Vol. 72, No. 8, pp. 1373–1384. The text was translated by the authors.     

Rotation-induced shape transitions in Dy nuclei

Lifetimes of states with spins up to 30? have been measured in the nuclei ¹⁵⁶Dy, ¹⁵⁷Dy, and ^ll58Dy using the recoil-distance technique together with inverse reactions of the type $\text{Mg}\text{(}{}^{136}\text{Xe}\text{, x}\text{n}\text{)}$. The applied method, which benefited from the high velocities of the fusion residues as well as from improvements of the recoil-distance technique, allowed us to determine lifetimes and feeding times down to 0.1 ps. Below the first backbending the resultant B(E2) values in the ground-state band of ^{156, 158}Dy increase faster with increasing rotational frequency than expected for rigid rotors, reaching values similar to those observed for the well-deformed neutron-rich Dy isotopes. In contrast to this, the E2-transition probabilities between high-spin states are clearly retarded. The retardation gradually evolves from the rotation alignment of nucléons and indicates deformation changes most likely towards a triaxial shape. From the analysis of the side-feeding times of the high-spin yrast states it could be furthermore deduced that the E2 component of the preyrast γ-decay stems from transitions along highly collective bands.     

Nuclear multifragmentation and phase transitions in hot nuclei

Nuclear multifragmentation is a new, multibody, decay mode of very hot nuclei. The key properties of this process that were measured are considered, such as the space-time and temperature characteristics. The experimental data for the critical temperature of the nuclear liquid-gas-phase transition are analyzed. Thermal multifragmentation is interpreted as a result of spinodal decomposition, which is actually the specific nuclear liquid-fog-phase transition of the first order. The text was submitted by the author in English.     

Liquid-fog and liquid-gas phase transitions in hot nuclei

Thermal multifragmentation of hot nuclei is interpreted as the nuclear liquid-fog phase transition inside the spinodal region. The exclusive data for p(8.1 GeV) + Au collisions are analyzed within the framework of the statistical model SMM. It is found that the partition of hot nuclei is specified after expansion to a volume equal to V _t = (2.6 ± 0.3)V ₀. The freeze-out volume is found to be twice as large: V _f = (5 ± 1)V ₀. The similarity between multifragmentation and ordinary fission is discussed. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Critical temperature for shape transitions in excited nuclei

The behavior of shell effects with temperature is studied within the framework of the finite-temperature Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov theory with the Gogny force. Thermal shape fluctuations in the quadrupole degree of freedom are taken into account in the frame of the Landau theory. Numerical results for the superfluid-to-normal and deformed-to-spherical phase transitions are presented for the nucleus ¹⁶⁴Er. We find that the critical temperature for the deformed-spherical shape transition is much lowered when the thermal shape fluctuations are considered.Received: 31 October 2002, Published online: 17 February 2004PACS: 21.60.Jz Hartree-Fock and random-phase approximations - 21.10.Ky Electromagnetic moments - 21.10.Ma Level density     

Giant dipole resonance and shape transitions in warm and rapidly rotating nuclei

We discuss the shape transitions in few medium heavy-mass nuclei with emphasis on low-temperature behaviour of the giant dipole resonance (GDR) observables. We employ a macroscopic approach towards GDR in which the GDR observables are related to the nuclear shapes. Shape calculations were done using the cranked Nilsson-Strutinsky method (CNSM) extended to finite temperature. Thermal shape fluctuations are computed with free energies calculated employing Landau parameterization as well as those calculated exactly (without using parameterizations) at given spin and temperature. The results obtained are confronted with the experimental data wherever available. Our study reveals that if the fluctuations are treated properly, then, in spite of thermal fluctuations, GDR observables could very well reflect the shape transitions at low temperature.     

Fluctuations of the quark densities in nuclei

We study the static scalar susceptibility of the nuclear medium, i.e., the change of the quark condensate for a small modification of the quark mass. In the linear sigma model it is linked to the in-medium sigma propagator and its magnitude increases due to the mixing with the softer modes of the nucleon-hole excitations. We show that the pseudoscalar susceptibility, which is large in the vacuum, owing to the smallness of the pion mass, follows the density evolution of the quark condensate and thus decreases. At normal nuclear matter density the two susceptibilities become much closer, a partial chiral symmetry restoration effect as they become equal when the full restoration is achieved. Received: 20 July 2002 / Accepted: 14 September 2002 / Published online: 21 January 2003 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: chanfray@ipnl.in2p3.fr Communicated by A. Molinari     

Effects of single particle on shape phase transitions and phase coexistence in odd-even nuclei

A classical analysis of shape phase transitions and phase coexistence in odd-even nuclei has been performed in the framework of the interacting boson-fermion model. The results indicate that the effects of a single particle may influence different types of transitions in different ways. Especially, it is revealed that phase coexistence can clearly emerge in the critical region and thus be taken as a indicator of the shape phase transitions in odd-even nuclei.     

Critical-point symmetries in boson-fermion systems: the case of shape transitions in odd nuclei in a multiorbit model

We investigate phase transitions in boson-fermion systems. We propose an analytically solvable model [E(5/12)] to describe odd nuclei at the critical point in the transition from the spherical to gamma-unstable behavior. In the model, a boson core described within the Bohr Hamiltonian interacts with an unpaired particle assumed to be moving in the three single-particle orbitals j=1/2, 3/2, 5/2. Energy spectra and electromagnetic transitions at the critical point compare well with the results obtained within the interacting boson-fermion model, with a boson-fermion Hamiltonian that describes the same physical situation.     

On the shape of deformed nuclei

Shape observables measuring the intrinsic quadrupole deformation of the nucleus are identified. The consequences of these shape operators for the collective rotational and SU(3) models are derived. The operator measuring the square of the K quantum number is given.     

Electric dipole transitions in neutron-rich nuclei

The structure of neutron-rich nuclei in several isotopes is investigated by shell model calculations. We study the electric dipole (E1) transitions in C isotopes focusing on the interplay between the low-energy Pigmy strength and the giant dipole resonance (GDR). Reasonable agreement is obtained with available experimental data for the photoreaction cross sections in ¹²C, ¹³C, and ¹⁴C with the inclusion of the quenching effects. A low-energy peak in the dipole strength in ¹⁵C is associated with a single-particle motion of the 1s_1/2 valence neutron relative to the ¹⁴C core. The calculated transition strength below the GDR in C isotopes heavier than ¹⁵C is found to exhaust about 50–80% of the cluster sum rule value and 12–16% of the classical Thomas-Reiche-Kuhn sum rule value. Next, we point out that the quadrupole and magnetic moments in the odd C isotopes strongly depend on configuration, which will be useful to determine the spin parities and the deformations of the ground states of these nuclei. The electric quadrupole (E2) transitions in even C isotopes are also studied. The isotopic dependence of the E2 transition strength is found to be reasonably well explained, although the calculated strength largely overestimates the unexpectedly small strength observed in ¹⁶C. The E1 strength in ¹⁸N and ¹⁹N as well as in Ne isotopes is also investigated.     

Low-lying Gamow-Teller transitions in spherical nuclei

The Pyatov Method has been used to study the low-lying Gamow-Teller transitions in the mass region of 98 ⩽ A ⩽ 130. The eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of the total Hamiltonian have been solved within the framework of proton-neutron quasiparticle random-phase approximation. The low-lying β decay log(ft) values have been calculated for the nuclei under consideration.     

Fission dynamics of hot nuclei

Experimental evidence accumulated during the last two decades indicates that the fission of excited heavy nuclei involves a dissipative dynamical process. We shall briefly review the relevant dynamical model, namely the Langevin equations for fission. Statistical model predictions using the Kramers’ fission width will also be discussed.     

Semi-classical calculations of hot nuclei

We present semi-classical calculations of hot nuclei performed within the framework of the procedure recently introduced by Bonche, Levit and Vautherin in Hartree-Fock calculations, in order to take consistently into account the effects of continuum states. We use zero and second order Thomas-Fermi approximations for describing the kinetic and spin-orbit energies. After having introduced the ingredients of the formalism and given the main features of our resolution scheme of the Thomas-Fermi equations, we perform a detailed comparison of our calculations with Hartree-Fock results in order to test the accuracy of our model. We discuss the zero-temperature limit case where T² developments can be worked out. We show that, at low temperatures (T ≲ 2 MeV) the subtraction procedure is not indispensable, as expected from Hartree-Fock calculations. We also recall recent results obtained by using our formalism in estimating the temperature dependence of the level density parameter. As in Hartree-Fock calculations we find the existence of a limiting temperature T_lim beyond which the nucleus is unstable because of the Coulomb interaction. By comparing our theoretical values of T_lim with recent experimental data, we show that, in spite of the approximations in our model, this limiting temperature could be related to the actual disappearance of fusion-like processes in medium energy heavy-ion collisions.