How to determine the shape of nuclear molecules with polarized gamma-rays

Abstract

A method has been recently proposed to establish the geometry of the alpha-cluster arrangement in ^{12}12C making use of polarized gamma-rays. The ratio of intensities of scattered radiation at 90 degrees along and perpendicular to the initial direction of the electric field vector, called depolarization ratio, is a key quantity that allows to underpin the nature of totally symmetric modes of vibrations. This allows to connect with the underlying point-group structure and therefore to the geometric shape of the nuclear molecule. This method is reviewed for ^{12}12C and extended to other configurations, such as three unequal clusters and four identical clusters (e.g. ^{16}16O).