Giant Monopole Resonances in Nuclei and Compressibility of Nuclear Matter

Abstract

Within the last three years one has obtained more and more evidence on the excitation of a giant monopole resonance in the inelastic scattering of various particles on nuclei. (For references see the review presented by F.E. Bertrand at this Summer School.) The importance of this mode of excitation of the nucleus lies in the fact that its frequency is related to the compressibility of nuclear matter. We briefly discuss here the problems encountered when one attempts to extract the value of the compressibility of nuclear matter from the observed frequency of the giant monopole resonance (the so-called breathing mode)1.