Steven M. Grimes (Ohio University)

Nuclear level densities off the stability line and nuclear isospin

Nuclear level densities remain a topic of considerable interest more than sixty years after Bethe introduced the subject. A review of current level density research will be presented, with particular attention to possible anomalies for nuclei off of the stability line. It turns out that some consequences of a new level density formulation are more challenging to demonstrate than might have been anticipated, because of the possible consequences of nulear isospin. Some methods for separating the effects of these two phenomena will be presented.