Eur. Phys. J. A (2016) 52: 120
https://doi.org/10.1140/epja/i2016-16120-4

Regular Article - Theoretical Physics

Alpha-cluster model of atomic nuclei

¹ M. Smoluchowski Institute of Physics, Jagiellonian University, Łojasiewicza 11, 30-348, Kraków, Poland
² Theoretical Physics Division (BP2), NCBJ, Świerk, Poland
³ IFJ PAN, Kraków, Poland

^* e-mail: jinesh.kallunkathariyil@gmail.com

Received: 17 August 2015
Revised: 24 February 2016
Accepted: 7 March 2016
Published online: 5 May 2016

Abstract

The description of a nuclear system in its ground state and at low excitations based on the equation of state (EoS) around normal density is presented. In the expansion of the EoS around the saturation point, additional spin polarization terms are taken into account. These terms, together with the standard symmetry term, are responsible for the appearance of the -like clusters in the ground-state configurations of the N = Z even-even nuclei. At the nuclear surface these clusters can be identified as alpha particles. A correction for the surface effects is introduced for atomic nuclei. Taking into account an additional interaction between clusters the binding energies and sizes of the considered nuclei are very accurately described. The limits of the EoS parameters are established from the properties of the , ³He and t particles.