The 5α condensate state in 20Ne
Bo Zhou, Y. Funaki, Hisashi Horiuchi, Y. G., G. Röpke, P. Schuck, A. Tohsaki, Taiichi Yamada
Abstract
Abstract The formed 4 He ( α ) clusters consisting of two neutrons and two protons can be a building block in light nuclear systems. Intriguingly, these alpha clusters could potentially form alpha condensate states within the nuclear system. The Hoyle state at 7.65 MeV in 12 C, which plays an essential role in stellar nucleosynthesis, is now considered to be a phase transition, namely the 3 α Bose-Einstein condensate. Confirming the existence of Hoyle-analog states in N α nuclei ( N > 3) remains a major challenge. Here we show microscopic five-body calculations for the 20 Ne nucleus. We find that one excited 0 + state has a distinct gas-like characteristic and represents the condensate state. Identifying the 5 α condensate state is an important step in establishing the concept of α condensation in nuclear fermion systems.