Nuclear shell structures in terms of classical periodic orbits

TL;DR

This paper applies semiclassical periodic-orbit theory to nuclear structures, revealing how classical orbits influence shell deformations, bifurcations, and symmetries, including spin effects, within a realistic mean-field model.

Contribution

It demonstrates the role of short classical periodic orbits and bifurcations in understanding nuclear shell structures and deformations using a realistic radial power-law potential.

Findings

Short POs explain deformation-driven shell structures.

Bifurcations indicate local dynamical symmetries.

Spin effects relate to pseudospin symmetry and shape asymmetries.

Abstract

Semiclassical periodic-orbit theory (POT) is applied to the physics of nuclear structures, with the use of a realistic nuclear mean-field model given by the radial power-law potential. Evolution of deformed shell structures, which are responsible for various nuclear deformations, are clearly understood from the contribution of short classical periodic orbits (POs). Bifurcations of short POs, which imply underlying local dynamical symmetry, play significant role there. The effect of the spin degree of freedom is also investigated in relevance to the pseudospin symmetry in spherical nuclei and the prolate-oblate asymmetry in shell structures of nuclei with quadrupole-type deformations.