Effective field theory approach to rotational bands in odd-mass nuclei

Abstract

We extend an effective field theory developed to describe rotational bands in even-even nuclei to the odd-mass case. This organizes Bohr and Mottelson's treatment of a particle coupled to a rotor as a model-independent expansion in powers of the angular velocity of the overall system. We carry out this expansion up to fourth order in the angular velocity and present results for Tc99, Dy159, Er167,169, Tm167,169, W183, U,235 and Pu239. In each case, the accuracy and breakdown scale of the effective field theory can be understood based on the single-particle and vibrational energy scales in that nucleus.