[en] The question of the appropriate choice of oscillator basis functions for studying exotic nuclear shapes is raised. Difficulties with the conventional choice of oscillator basis states are noted for shapes having a large banana component. A prescription for an improved oscillator basis to study these shapes is given. It can be applied in a more general context. New calculations with this improved basis are presented for the banana deformation mode. The change of basis gives results that improve the prospects of finding states in the banana minimum for many isotopes of Tl, Pb and Bi

[en] The first dedicated electro coincidence out-of-plane scattering facility is now operational at the MIT/Bates Accelerator Center. In its final configuration it will allow for the isolation of all five structure functions which can be assessed in an (e-bar, e^'p) reaction. An overview of the experimental apparatus and of the ongoing and planned program are presented. The recently obtained results on the issue of the 'nucleon deformation' are highlighted. (author)

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[en] After a few 'historical remarks' related to the evolution of our knowledge on nuclear shape effects, recent events in super-deformation studies are commented from the point of view of their general importance for nuclear physics. 12 refs

[en] Nucleosynthesis of heavy elements in explosive hydrogen burning is known to be strongly dependent on nuclear structure effects. Specifically, it has been suggested that the rp-process endpoint is within the A ∼80 region of nuclei where protons and neutrons lie in the same major shell. While nuclei in this region are known to exhibit the largest known quadrupole deformations, many of the nuclei in the rp-process path are experimentally unknown. Yet it is crucial to know their structure to predict their lifetimes, masses, and proton capture rates along the rp-process path. We have used the NpNn scheme based on the local systematics of the B(E2:2⁺ - 0⁺) to predict the expected deformation parameters for the unknown nuclei near the drip lines. These results may also be useful for predictions of nuclear structure for nuclei to be produced by various exotic beam facilities presently under construction

[en] Short communication. 7 refs

[en] Multi-phonon vibration of atomic nuclei has been a subject of intense discussion among experimental physicists and theoreticians over the last few decades. However, the existence of collective two-phonon vibrations of the type ββ, βγ and γγ remains an open question in nuclear structure physics. Although the single-γ vibration is a firmly established feature of deformed nuclei, the double-excitation of two-γ- phonons were observed only in a few nuclei. An experiment has been carried out using the DURGA facility at Dhruva reactor to investigate the presence of two-phonon γ-vibrational states in the deformed ¹⁶⁴Dy nucleus in the rare-earth region. Data were recorded at multiple thermal powers of the Dhruva reactor, ranging from 40 to 70 MW, and enriched ¹⁶³Dy₂O₃ powder, sealed in a Teflon-made capsule, was used as target

[en] The effects of coupling between the rotation and internal motion on the basis of the semiphenomenological nuclear model are being investigated. As an example, the ratational bands of the states of a ²³⁵U nucleus are considered. The following values of the elasticity (rigidity) parameters C and deformation parameters β have been obtained: C=345.57 MeV, β=0.332 for K=7/2; C=65.06 MeV, β=0.463 for K=5/2; C=60.93 MeV, β=0.398 for K=9/2. The theory agrees rather well with the experiment. A conclusion has been drawn about the necessity of taking account of the coupling between the rotation and internal motion in deformed nuclei

[en] The Kelvin circulation and angular momentum vectors are the hermitian kinematical observables which measure the true character of nuclear rotation. For a rapidly-rotating deformed nucleus in the classical domain whose potential energy is modeled by the sum of Coulomb repulsion and attractive surface energy terms, analytic formulas are reported for the angular momentum and circulation as a function of axes lengths. Bifurcation to triaxial shapes is investigated as a function of the nuclear fissility and nuclear rotational character. The bifurcation point for a given fissility depends sensitively upon the ratio of the circulation to the angular momentum and, hence, its identification is a experimental signature of rotational dynamics