Equilibrium deformations and excitation energies for non-collective states in odd- Z rare-earth nuclei

Abstract

Nuclear potential energy surfaces have been calculated for one-quasiparticle states in the odd- Z rare-earth nuclei. The calculations are based on the Nilsson model with inclusion of nuclear pairing effects. A renormalization of the energy surface to that of a liquid drop is made using the Strutinsky method. The lowest minima in the potential energy surfaces yield deformations ( ε 2, ε 4) and excitation energies of the one-quasiparticle states,which can be compared with the experimental values after appropriate corrections, including a contribution from zero-point rotational motion. Many of the empirical energy trends among the one-quasiparticle states are well reproduced by these calculations. Some of the observed trends are attributable to variation in the hexadecapole ( ε 4) deformation.