He8 and Li9 cluster structures in light nuclei

Abstract

The possibility of the $^8$He and $^{9}$Li clusters in atomic nuclei is discussed. Until now most of the clusters in the conventional models have been limited to the closures of the three-dimensional harmonic oscillators, such as $^4$He, $^{16}$O, and $^{40}$Ca. In the neutron-rich nuclei, however, the neutron to proton ratio is not unity, and it is worthwhile to think about more neutron-rich objects with $N>Z$ as the building blocks of cluster structures. Here the nuclei with the neutron number six, which is the subclosure of the $p_{3/2}$ subshell of the $jj$-coupling shell model, are assumed to be clusters, and thus we study the $^8$He and $^9$Li cluster structures in $^{16}$Be ($^8$He+$^8$He), $^{17}$B ($^8$He+$^9$Li), $^{18}$C ($^9$Li+$^9$Li), and $^{24}$C ($^8$He+$^8$He+$^8$He). Recent progress of the antisymmetrized quasi cluster model (AQCM) enables us to utilize $jj$-coupling shell model wave functions as the clusters rather easily. It is shown that the $^8$He+$^9$Li and $^9$Li+$^9$Li cluster configurations cover the lowest shell-model states of $^{17}$B and $^{18}$C, respectively. To predict the cluster states with large relative distances, we increase the expectation value of the principal quantum numbers by adding the nodes to the lowest states under the condition that the total angular momentum is unchanged (equal to $J^\pi =0$). As a result, developed cluster states are obtained around the corresponding threshold energies. The rotational band structure of $^{24}$C, which reflect the symmetry of equilateral triangular configuration ($D_{3h}$ symmetry) of three $^8$He clusters, also appears around the threshold energy.