Collective and single-particle degrees of freedom in rotating nuclei

Abstract

In 1937, Hermann Jahn and Edward Teller published their research describing a mechanism of symmetry breaking in nonlinear polyatomic molecules resulting in a lifting of orbital degeneracy of an electronic state (Proc. R. Soc. London, Ser. A 1937, 161, 220), yielding insight into molecular structure. The impact of symmetry breaking on the energy and structure of quantum states is not unique to molecules and may be applied to nuclei, involving degenerate nucleon states as opposed to electronic states. Reinhard and Otten showed that the nuclear Jahn–Teller effect provides a mechanism applicable to describe the commonly observed collective quadrupole surface motion (Nucl. Phys. A 1984, 420, 173). To take into account single-particle effects, it is important to properly model the valence nucleons, especially those occupying large angular momenta orbitals near the Fermi level. In this work, a model has been developed in which two valence nucleons of the same kind are coupled to an axially symmetric quadrupole deformed rotor of the D2 symmetry and interact through the nuclear delta force. To test this model, the band of the lowest-energy state at a given spin for 126Ce is reproduced. The resultant wavefunctions are then used to calculate the g factor, reduced electric quadrupole transition probability, and spectroscopic quadrupole moment all as a function of spin. This method lays the groundwork to explore higher order symmetries following the multipole expansion.