Nuclear Structure

Nuclear structure studies at the Institute explore a wide range of single-particle and collective properties of the nucleus. The most extensive study in this area is centered about the determination of the nuclear compressibility using measurements of the properties of giant resonance states in a variety of nuclei. The nuclear compressibility is a quantity of great importance to the understanding of the nuclear equation of state and plays a critical role in the evolution of heavy ion induced reactions and of supernovae.

Studies of the Isoscalar Giant Monopole Resonance ("the breathing mode") of the nucleus and of the Isoscalar Giant Dipole Resonance ("the squeezing mode"), excited by inelastic alpha particle scattering, are in progress. The MDM spectrometer and the National BaF₂ Array are employed in these experiments.