A microscopic analysis of the amount of α-condensation in 12C Original Research Article

The possibility of α-cluster condensation in 12C is examined. A fully microscopic 12-nucleon, 3α-cluster model is applied for the ground state and the 0+ state near the 3α-particle threshold. The wave functions for these states are obtained in a correlated Gaussian basis by the stochastic variational method and then mapped to 3α-boson wave functions through an α-spectroscopic amplitude. Characteristics of the boson structure are discussed by calculating several relevant quantities. The consequence of the Pauli principle on the bosonic properties is discussed. The extent of α-condensation is quantified by diagonalizing the density matrices constructed from the boson wave functions. The probability that the α-clusters occupy a single S-orbit is about 70% for the 0+ state at the excitation energy of 7.65 MeV.