High-lying single-particle modes, chaos, correlational entropy, and doubling phase transition

Abstract

Highly-excited single-particle states in nuclei are coupled with the excitations of a more complex character, first of all with collective phonon-like modes of the core. In the framework of the quasiparticle-phonon model we consider the structure of resulting complex configurations using the $1k_{17/2}$ orbital in $^{209}$Pb as an example. Although, on the level of one- and two-phonon admixtures, the fully chaotic GOE regime is not reached, the eigenstates of the model carry significant degree of complexity that can be quantified with the aid of correlational invariant entropy. With artificially enhanced particle-core coupling, the system undergoes the doubling phase transition with the quasiparticle strength concentrated in two repelling peaks. This phase transition is clearly detected by correlational entropy.