Nuclear Structure from a Novel Beyond-Mean-Field Model: Towards Super-Heavy Nuclei from Densities and Mean-Fields to Wave Functions and Observables

This thesis is dedicated to the construction of a novel model for nuclear structure; aimed at
heavy and super-heavy nuclei. The model builds upon, and extends, nuclear density functional
theory. The model describes a mapping of an energy density functional into an effective
Hamiltonian which is postulated to have a simple form. This Hamiltonian is solved in the
frameworks of the generator coordinate method and projections onto good quantum numbers.
The outputs are energies and wave functions expressed in the laboratory system. The wave
functions are further used to calculate electromagnetic moments and transition rates. Due to
the simplicity of the Hamiltonian, the model can be used for super-heavy nuclei.
The first part of this thesis places the research of this work in a larger context. The con-
structed model is motivated and in detail described. As a demonstration for how the model is
used, a calculation and the produced results for the nucleus 48Cr are presented. The second
part reproduces the papers for which this thesis is based upon.
Paper I study the α-decay 219Ra → 215Rn both experimentally and theoretically. The
theoretical study investigates the octupole deformation and the α-decay rates of 219Ra with
nuclear density functional theory and its spectrum with the many-particle+rotor model.
Paper II presents experimental data for an α-decay chain of the man-made super-heavy
elements 292Lv, 288Fl and 284Cn. This chain runs through the anticipated shell gap at Z = 114.
The paper also contains a theoretical study in which the model presented in this thesis is used
to calculate the spectra for 282,284,286,288Cn.
Paper III is the main work of this thesis. It describes the different parts of the model
presented in this thesis in a thorough manner. How electromagnetic transition rates can be
calculated within the model is shown. Results obtained from the model for 48,49,50,52Cr and
24Mg are presented.
Paper IV extends upon the model to include odd numbered angular momentum states.
Three types of Skyrme parametrizations, UNEDF1, SLy4 and SkM*, are investigated.