Quantum phase transitions in rotating nuclei

TL;DR

This paper applies an extended Landau theory to rotating nuclei, identifying different types of phase transitions associated with backbending phenomena in specific isotopes, revealing insights into nuclear structural changes during rotation.

Contribution

It introduces an extension of classical Landau theory to describe phase transitions in rotating nuclei and classifies backbending as either first or second order transitions.

Findings

Backbending in 162Yb is a second order phase transition.

Backbending in 156Dy is a first order phase transition.

Different mechanisms cause backbending in different nuclei.

Abstract

We extend the classical Landau theory for rotating nuclei and show that the backbending in 162Yb, that comes about as a result of the two-quasiparticle alignment, is identified with the second order phase transition. We found that the backbending in 156Dy, caused by the instability of $\gamma$-vibrations in the rotating frame, corresponds to the first order phase transition.