Establishing the geometry of α clusters in C12 through patterns of polarized γ rays

Abstract

For decades physicists have speculated if ${}^{12}$C could be understood in terms of a cluster arrangement of three $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ particles. This paper suggests a novel experimental way to test these ideas, using polarized $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ rays, as for example in the new EU-funded facility, the Extreme Light Infrastructure or ELI. The work should stimulate both theory and experiment, and possibly address long-standing ideas about clustering in light nuclei.