A Study of the Isoscalar Giant Monopole Resonance

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xxvi

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2. Introduction

   • Darshana Chandrakant Patel

   Pages 1-15

3. Theory of Collective Motion

   • Darshana Chandrakant Patel

   Pages 17-26

4. Experimental Overview and Data Reduction

   • Darshana Chandrakant Patel

   Pages 27-45

5. Data Analysis

   • Darshana Chandrakant Patel

   Pages 47-60

6. Results and Discussion

   • Darshana Chandrakant Patel

   Pages 61-71

7. Summary and Current Status

   • Darshana Chandrakant Patel

   Pages 73-76

8. Back Matter

   Pages 77-102

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This thesis reports on investigations of a specific collective mode of nuclear vibration, the isoscalar giant monopole resonance (ISGMR), the nuclear "breathing mode", the energy of which is directly related to a fundamental property of nuclei—the nuclear incompressibility. The alpha inelastic scattering experiments reported in this thesis have been critical to answering some fundamental questions about nuclear incompressibility and the symmetry energy, quantities that are crucial to our understanding of a number of phenomena in nuclear physics and astrophysics, including collective excitations in nuclei, radii of neutron stars, and the nature of stellar collapse and supernova explosions. The work described included three sets of experiments and subsequent sophisticated data analysis, both leading to results that have been welcomed by the community and recognised as important contributions to the field.

• Deuteron beam scattering
• Extremely forward angle alpha inelastic scattering
• Isoscalar giant monopole resonance (ISGMR)
• Nuclear breathing mode
• Open-shell nuclei
• Softness in nuclear incompressibility
• Stellar collapse
• Symmetry energy

• University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, USA

  Darshana Chandrakant Patel

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