Bulg. J. Phys. vol.44 no.4 (2017), pp. 385-397
Proxy-SU(3): A Symmetry for Heavy Nuclei
D. Bonatsos1, I.E. Assimakis1, N. Minkov2, A. Martinou1, S.K. Peroulis1, S. Sarantopoulou1, R.B. Cakirli3, R.F. Casten4,5, K. Blaum6
1Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics, National Centre for Scientific Research "Demokritos", GR-15310 Aghia Paraskevi, Attiki, Greece
2Institute of Nuclear Research and Nuclear Energy, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 72 Tzarigrad Road, 1784 Sofia, Bulgaria
3Department of Physics, University of Istanbul, 34134 Istanbul, Turkey
4Wright Laboratory, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA
5Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, 640 South Shaw Lane, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824 USA
6Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, Saupfercheckweg 1, D-69117 Heidelberg, Germany
go back1Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics, National Centre for Scientific Research "Demokritos", GR-15310 Aghia Paraskevi, Attiki, Greece
2Institute of Nuclear Research and Nuclear Energy, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 72 Tzarigrad Road, 1784 Sofia, Bulgaria
3Department of Physics, University of Istanbul, 34134 Istanbul, Turkey
4Wright Laboratory, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA
5Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, 640 South Shaw Lane, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824 USA
6Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, Saupfercheckweg 1, D-69117 Heidelberg, Germany
Abstract. The SU(3) symmetry realized by J. P. Elliott in the sd nuclear shell is destroyed in heavier shells by the strong spin-orbit interaction. On the other hand, the SU(3) symmetry has been used for the description of heavy nuclei in terms of bosons in the framework of the Interacting Boson Approximation, as well as in terms of fermions using the pseudo-SU(3) approximation. A new fermionic approximation, called the proxy-SU(3), has been recently introduced and applied to the even rare earths. We show that the applicability of proxy-SU(3) can be extended to even nuclei in the 28-50 proton shell, to even superheavy elements, as well as to odd-odd and odd rare earths. Parameter free predictions for the β and γ deformation parameters are presented and compared to alternative theoretical predictions and to existing data.