Aspects of Chaos in Nuclear Physics

Abstract

This article addresses the role of such concepts as chaos and predictability in the context of nuclear physics. The topic of this article is closely linked with such diverse areas as random-matrix theory, chaos in classical dynamical systems, statistical mechanics of small quantum systems, and the theory of disordered solids. We present recent information on nuclear data and on their analysis in terms of random-matrix models, a summary of work done on classical chaotic systems, on their quantum analogues, and on special systems like the hydrogen atom in a strong magnetic field. Also, we discuss how random-matrix models can be used to simulate chaotic behaviour in small quantum systems, the role of symmetries (isospin, parity, and time-reversal) in chaotic quantum (nuclear) systems, and how chaos surfaces in experimental and theoretical investigations in molecular physics, in the physics of small clusters, and the analysis of conductance fluctuations in solids. (AIP)