Molecular structure of highly-excited resonant states in $^{24}$Mg and the corresponding $^8$Be+$^{16}$O and $^{12}$C+$^{12}$C decays

TL;DR

This paper investigates the decay properties of high-lying resonant states in magnesium-24 using a cluster model, revealing how decay widths depend on angular momentum and aiding in understanding nuclear molecular structures.

Contribution

The study demonstrates the sensitivity of decay widths to angular momentum, establishing cluster decay as a tool for determining resonance spin and structure.

Findings

Calculated decay widths match experimental data

Decay widths are highly sensitive to angular momentum

Cluster decay helps identify resonance spin and structure

Abstract

Exotic $^8$Be and $^{12}$C decays from high-lying resonances in $^{24}$Mg are analyzed in terms of a cluster model. The calculated quantities agree well with the corresponding experimental data. It is found that the calculated decay widths are very sensitive to the angular momentum carried by the outgoing cluster. It is shown that this property makes cluster decay a powerful tool to determine the spin as well as the molecular structures of the resonances.