Temperature induced shell effects in deformed nuclei

The thermal evolution of the shell correction energy is investigated for deformed nuclei using Strutinsky prescription in a self-consistent relativistic mean-field framework. For temperature independent single-particle states corresponding to either spherical or deformed nuclear shapes, the shell correction energy ∆sc steadily washes out with temperature. However, for states pertaining to the self-consistent thermally evolving shapes of deformed nuclei, the dual role played by the single-particle occupancies in diluting the fluctuation effects from the single-particle spectra and in driving the system towards a smaller deformation is crucial in determining ∆sc at moderate temperatures. In rare earth nuclei, it is found that ∆sc builds up strongly around the shape transition temperature; for lighter deformed nuclei like 64Zn and 66Zn, this is relatively less prominent. PACS number(s): 21.10.Ma, 21.60.-n, 27.70.+q