Low lying oscillations of deformed nuclei

Abstract

Low-lying oscillations of the intrinsic deformed shape of a nucleus remain an open challenge in nuclear structure. The question or challenge revolves around the viability of single or multiple quanta of vibrational excitations superimposed on the equilibrium, deformed shape of a nucleus. The K=2 or “γ” vibrations are fairly widespread and nominally conform to expectations whereas the existence of the K=0 or “β” vibrational excitation is yet to be distinguished from other possible origins including the coexistence of other potential minima.