arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to P. Van Isacker.
A generic procedure is proposed to construct many-body quantum Hamiltonians with partial dynamical symmetry. It is based on a tensor decomposition of the Hamiltonian and allows the construction of a hierarchy of interactions that have selected classes of solvable states. The method is illustrated in the SO(6) limit of the interacting boson model of atomic nuclei and applied to the nucleus $^{196}$Pt.
A systematic analysis of the spherical-to-deformed shape phase transition in even-even rare-earth nuclei from $_{58}$Ce to $_{74}$W is carried out in the framework of the interacting boson model. These results are then used to calculate nuclear radii and electric monopole (E0) transitions with the same effective operator. The influence of the hexadecapole degree of freedom ($g$ boson) on the correlation between radii and E0 transitions thus established, is discussed.
The signature splitting of the $γ$-vibrational band of several Ru, Pd, Xe, Ba, Os and Pt isotopes is analyzed in the framework of the interacting boson model (IBM). The nuclei studied are close to the $γ$-unstable SO(6) limit of the IBM and have well-known $γ$ bands. It is shown that in most nuclei the signature splitting is better reproduced by the inclusion of a three-body interaction between the $d$ bosons. In none of the nuclei evidence for a stable, triaxial ground-state shape is found.
We point out the possibility of the {\em partial} conservation of the seniority quantum number when most eigenstates are mixed in seniority but some remain pure. This situation occurs in nuclei for the $g_{9/2}$ and $h_{9/2}$ shells where it is at the origin of the existence of seniority isomers in the ruthenium and palladium isotopes. It also occurs for $f$ bosons.
We show that the ground state of a Bose-Einstein condensate of atoms with hyperfine spin f = 2 can be either spin aligned, condensed into pairs of atoms coupled to F = 0, or condensed into triplets of atoms coupled to F = 0. The complete phase diagram is constructed for f = 2 and the generic properties of the phase diagram are obtained for f > 2.
IBM-1} calculations for the fission products $^{108,110,112}$Ru have been carried out. The even-even isotopes of Ru can be described as transitional nuclei situated between the U(5) (spherical vibrator) and SO(6) ($γ$-unstable rotor) symmetries of the Interacting Boson Model. At first, a Hamiltonian with only one- and two-body terms has been used. Excitation energies and $B$(E2) ratios of gamma transitions have been calculated. A satisfactory agreement has been obtained, with the exception of the odd-even staggering in the quasi-$γ$ bands of $^{110,112}$Ru. The observed pattern is rather similar to the one for a rigid triaxial rotor. A calculation based on a Hamiltonian with three-body terms was able to remove this discrepancy. The relation between the IBM and the triaxial rotor model was also examined.
The case of U(5)--$\hat{Q}(χ)\cdot\hat{Q}(χ)$ mixing in the configuration-mixed Interacting Boson Model is studied in its mean-field approximation. Phase diagrams with analytical and numerical solutions are constructed and discussed. Indications for first-order and second-order shape phase transitions can be obtained from binding energies and from critical exponents, respectively.
We describe a class of exactly-solvable models of interacting bosons based on the algebra SO(3,2). Each copy of the algebra represents a system of neutron and proton bosons in a given bosonic level interacting via a pairing interaction. The model that includes s and d bosons is a specific realization of the IBM2, restricted to the transition regime between vibrational and gamma-soft nuclei. By including additional copies of the algebra, we can generate proton-neutron boson models involving other boson degrees of freedom, while still maintaining exact solvability. In each of these models, we can study not only the states of maximal symmetry, but also those of mixed symmetry, albeit still in the vibrational to gamma-soft transition regime. Furthermore, in each of these models we can study some features of F-spin symmetry breaking. We report systematic calculations as a function of the pairing strength for models based on s, d, and g bosons and on s, d, and f bosons. The formalism of exactly-solvable models based on the SO(3,2) algebra is not limited to systems of proton and neutron bosons, however, but can also be applied to other scenarios that involve two species of interacting bosons.
The complete exact solution of the T=1 neutron-proton pairing Hamiltonian is presented in the context of the SO(5) Richardson-Gaudin model with non-degenerate single-particle levels and including isospin-symmetry breaking terms. The power of the method is illustrated with a numerical calculation for $^{64}$Ge for a $pf+g_{9/2}$ model space which is out of reach of modern shell-model codes.
The exact solvability of several nuclear models with non-degenerate single-particle energies is outlined and leads to a generalization of integrable Richardson-Gaudin models, like the $su(2)$-based fermion pairing, to any simple Lie algebra. As an example, the $so(5)\sim sp(4)$ model of T=1 pairing is discussed and illustrated for the case of $^{64}$Ge with non-degenerate single-particle energies.
It is argued that spectral features of quantal systems with random interactions can be given a geometric interpretation. This conjecture is investigated in the context of two simple models: a system of randomly interacting d bosons and one of randomly interacting fermions in a j=7/2 shell. In both examples the probability for a given state to become the ground state is shown to be related to a geometric property of a polygon or polyhedron which is entirely determined by particle number, shell size, and symmetry character of the states. Extensions to more general situations are discussed.
A three-configuration mixing calculation is performed in the context of the interacting boson model with the aim to describe recently observed collective bands built on low-lying $0^+$ states in neutron-deficient lead isotopes. The configurations that are included correspond to the regular, spherical states as well as two-particle two-hole and four-particle four-hole excitations across the Z=82 shell gap.
We introduce the notion of a generalized partial dynamical symmetry for which part of the eigenstates have part of the dynamical symmetry. This general concept is illustrated with the example of Hamiltonians with a partial dynamical O(6) symmetry in the framework of the interacting boson model. The resulting spectrum and electromagnetic transitions are compared with empirical data in $^{162}$Dy.
In a k-dimensional system of weakly interacting Bose atoms trapped by a spherically symmetric and harmonic external potential, an exact expression is obtained for the rotating ground states at a fixed angular momentum. The result is valid for arbitrary interactions obeying minimal physical requirements. Depending on the sign of a modified scattering length, it reduces to either a collective rotation or a condensed vortex state, with no alternative. The ground state can undergo a kind of quantum phase transition when the shape of the interaction potential is smoothly varied.
We present new analytical results concerning the spectral distributions for 2x2 random real symmetric matrices which generalise the Wigner surmise.
An algebraic model is developed to calculate the T=0 and T=1 ground state binding energies for N=Z nuclei. The method is tested in the sd shell and is then extended to 28-50 shell which is currently the object of many experimental studies.
Double-$γ$ vibrations in deformed nuclei are analyzed in the context of the interacting boson model. A simple extension of the original version of the model towards higher-order interactions is required to explain the observed anharmonicities of nuclear vibrations. The influence of three- and four-body interactions on the moments of inertia of ground- and $γ$-bands, and on the relative position of single-$γ$ and double-$γ$ bands is studied in detail. As an example of a realistic calculation, spectra and transitions of the highly $γ$-anharmonic nuclei $^{164}$Dy, $^{166}$Er, and $^{168}$Er are interpreted in this approach.
An intrinsic-state formalism for IBM-4 is presented. A basis of deformed bosons is introduced which allows the construction of a general trial wave function which has Wigner's spin-isospin SU(4) symmetry as a particular limit. Intrinsic-state calculations are compared with exact ones showing good agreement.