Elsevier

Nuclear Physics A

Volume 551, Issue 3, 18 January 1993, Pages 378-408
Nuclear Physics A

Shape transition of 146Nd deduced from an inelastic electron-scattering experiment

https://doi.org/10.1016/0375-9474(93)90454-6Get rights and content

Abstract

Excited states in 146Nd up to an excitation energy of 3.0 MeV were investigated by inelastic electron scattering in a momentum-transfer range of 0.5–2.8 fm−1. Transition charge densities were extracted for natural-parity states with spins ranging from 0+ up to 5. The experimental transition charge densities have been compared to microscopic calculations performed in the framework of the quasiparticle-phonon model (QPM) and the density-dependent Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov model (DDHFB). The QPM assumes a spherical nucleus, whereas the DDHFB model is most suitable for strongly deformed nuclei. Both models are thus complementary in describing this transitional nucleus. On the basis of the DDHFB calculations it is shown that 146Nd is softly deformed in its ground state; the agreement with the experimental data for the first excited 2+ and 4+ states indicates that at low excitation energies 146Nd can be considered to be a deformed nucleus. This feature is also analysed and confirmed for the first excited 3 and 5 states by means of the macroscopic rotation-vibration model. At higher excitation energies the level structure is well predicted by the QPM. Moreover, all higher states observed in the experiment have transition charge densities peaking at the same radius. This is typical for spherical nuclei. Therefore, it is concluded that 146Nd is slightly deformed at low excitation energies, but undergoes a shape transition at higher energies, turning spherical.

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