Nuclear theory

The present volume is the last in a series of three. It opens with a discussion of the two-and three-nucleon problems, as preparation for the development of an understanding of nuclear structure phenomena from the fundamental nucleon-nucleon interaction. It then develops the theory of infinite nuclear matter as an example of a problem whose goals limited, but which may in the near future be subject to rather complete and thorough-going solution starting from first principles. The treatment of realistic nuclei is begun with the particle-hole formalism and its applications. Partly, this is taken to typify many aspects of microscopic theories of nuclear structure; partly, it exhibits the special feature of collective behavior from a microscopic viewpoint, as evidenced in its description of giant resonance phenomena. Subsequently, microscopic theories of deformed light nuclei and their rotational properties are treated. Attention then shifts to concepts which are generally applied for microscopic treatments of heavier nuclei, notably pairing seniority and the quasi-particle transformation. These ideas are applied in some detail to the microscopic construction of collective potential energy surfaces and of the inertial parameters of collective motion. Lastly, two appendices are included, one on projection methods and one on the use of collective coordinates in a microscopic theory