REALISTIC MICROSCOPIC LEVEL DENSITIES FOR SPHERICAL NUCLEI

Nuclear level densities play an important role in nuclear reactions such as the formation of the compound nucleus. We develop a microscopic calculation of the level density based on a combinatorial evaluation from a realistic single-particle level scheme. This calculation makes use of a fast Monte Carlo algorithm allowing us to consider large shell model spaces which could not be treated previously in combinatorial approaches. Since our model relies on a microscopic basis, it can be applied to exotic nuclei with more confidence than the commonly used semiphenomenological formulas. An exhaustive comparison of our predicted neutron s-wave resonance spacings with experimental data for a wide range of nuclei is presented.