Clustering in nuclear environment

Abstract

The properties of few-body clusters (mass number $A \le 4$) are modified if they are immersed in a nuclear medium. In particular, Pauli blocking that reflects the antisymmetrization of the many-body wave function is responsible for the medium modification of light clusters and the dissolution with increasing density. A more consistent description is given with takes also the contribution of correlations in the continuum into account. The relation between cluster formation in warm dense matter and in nuclear structure is discussed.