Some recent results on Giant Dipole Resonance (GDR) decays in highly excited, equilibrated nuclei, are discussed based primarily on work done at Seattle. Four sections address the following topics: oblate shapes of rotating, highly excited Zr--Mo nuclei; adiabatic versus m̀otionally narrowed ̀GDR decay; large spin-driven deformations observed in hot medium-mass nuclei; and search for entrance channel effects in GDR decay following 58Ni + 92Zr fusion. 22 refs.
The statistical decay of the Giant Dipole Resonance built on a highly excited states of light-mass nuclei was studied in inclusive experiments. Results of the search for a shape change of hot, fast-rotating 45Sc and the test of the isospin purity at high excitation in 28Si and 26Al are reported.
Nuclear physics is presently experiencing a thrust towards fundamental phy sics questions. Low-energy experiments help in testing beyond today's stan dard models of particle physics. The search for finite neutrino masses and neutrino oscillations, for proton decay, rare and forbidden muon and pion de cays, for an electric dipole moment of the neutron denote some of the efforts to test today's theories of grand unification (GUTs, SUSYs, Superstrings, ... ) complementary to the search for new particles and symmetries in high-energy experiments. The close connections between the laws of microphysics, astrophysics and cosmology open further perspectives. This concerns, to mention some of them, properties of exotic nuclei and nuclear matter, and star evolution; the neutrino and the dark matter in the universe; relations between grand unification and evolution of the early universe. The International Symposium on Weak and Electromagnetic Interactions in Nuclei (W.E.LN. 1986)' held in Heidelberg 1-5 July 1986, in conjunction with the 600th anniversary of the University of Heidelberg, brought together experts in the fields of nuclear and particle physics, astrophysics and cosmol ogy.
The series of volumes, Contemporary Concepts in Physics, is addressed to the professional physicist and to the serious graduate student of physics. The subject of many-body systems constitutes a central chapter in the study of quantum mechanics, with applications ranging from elementary particle and condensed matter physics to the behaviour of compact stellar objects. Quantal size effects is one of the most fascinating facets of many-body physics; this is testified to by the developments taking place in the study of metallic clusters, fullerenes, nanophase materials, and atomic nuclei. This book is divided into two main parts: the study of giant resonances based on the atomic nucleus ground state (zero temperature), and the study of the y-decay of giant resonances from compound (finite temperature) nuclei.
