Nuclear Molecules PDF Download

The quasiperiodic motion in 24Mg, which experimentally displays a type of molecular structure is studied using the time-dependent Hartree-Fock approximation. The TDHF method addresses the question of molecular formation from a microscopic view which provides both a geometrical (classical) picture of the molecule, as well as characteristic information on the rotational and vibrational structure of the molecule. The most extensive experimental evidence for the existence of nuclear molecules lies in the narrow resonances observed in the 12C + 12C reactions near the Coulomb barrier. A large number of experimental data has been amassed, and the most successful organization of these data is in terms of the U(4) model of Iachello. The representation of the data in terms of this model suggests that the molecule involves a structure related to the 7.08 MeV 0 state of 12C. This state has a well-established cluster structure and is approximately given as a HF shape isomer of 12C. The energy as a function of deformation and the density contours for both the ground state 12C and the carbon isomer are shown. The present work examines in detail the classical behavior of the 12C + 12C(0) collision at energies near the Coulomb barrier. The long-time motion of the compound nuclear system is identified in terms of its classical quasiperiodic and chaotic behavior. The consequences of this motion are discussed and interpreted in terms of the evolution of the system along a dynamical energy surface. 21 references.