The structure of 16O; A review of the theory

The nucleus ¹⁶ ₈O₈ is the prototype for a large number of developments in nuclear structure theory. It is a doubly magic N=Z nucleus, light enough that an isotopic spin formalism should be a valid approximation. The Brueckner-Hartree-Fock procedure in a spherical basis should be capable of describing the gross properties of the ground state. The excited states of negative parity exhibit the characteristic low-lying ‘octupole vibrational state’ and there is a much studied ‘giant dipole region’ which should be amenable to the analysis of the ‘random phase approximation’. The first excited state is the ‘mysterious second zero’ par excellence and a great deal of work on describing it via the method of ‘deformed state admixtures’ has been carried out. The first excited state and a number of other excited states appear to support spectra reminiscent of rotational bands and the collective character of these states has been extensively studied in both the Bloch-Horowitz and α-cluster model schemes.