Nuclear structure at finite temperature: A review

Abstract

Information on nuclear structure at finite temperature is obtained from the physics of the level density, of the rotational damping, and of the giant dipole resonance thermally excited on a compound nucleus at very large excitation energy (and angular momentum). The current understanding in terms of mean-field theories and beyond is reviewed. The coupling to doorway states and the coupling to many-particle-many-hole states in the random-matrix-theory limit are discussed. Emph asis will be on the close relation between the single-particle damping and the damping of collective vibrations. The coherence between the particle and the hole strongly suppresses the vibrational damping, in particular, the temperature dependence.