Nuclear tetrahedral symmetry: Possibly present throughout the periodic table
May, 2002
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Abstract:
More than half a century after the fundamental, spherical shell structure in nuclei has been established, theoretical predictions indicate that the shell-gaps comparable or even stronger than those at spherical shapes may exist. Group-theoretical analysis supported by realistic mean-field calculations indicate that the corresponding nuclei are characterized by the ('double-tetrahedral') group of symmetry, exact or approximate. The corresponding strong shell-gap structure is markedly enhanced by the existence of the 4-dimensional irreducible representations of the group in question and consequently it can be seen as a geometrical effect that does not depend on a particular realization of the mean-field. Possibilities of discovering the corresponding symmetry in experiment are discussed.Note:
- 4 pages in LaTeX and 4 figures in eps format
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