Nuclear Seminar

Chiral Rotation: Past, Present and Future

S. Daniel Almehed
University of Notre Dame

Monday, February 4, 2008   4:00 p.m.   NSH 124
(Refreshments served prior to seminar in NSH 124)

Chiral rotation can appear in triaxial nuclei when proton and neutrons align along different principal axes and the collective rotation occurs along the third. This leads to two almost identical rotational bands. In some cases the two chiral partner bands cross over in a chiral band crossing where they are almost degenerate in a narrow spin range. I will show some new results that helps us understand the nature of chiral band crossings and the cause of the band splitting. I will also discuss how the theoretical understanding of chiral rotation has evolved and been refined over the last ten years.