Persistence of magicity in neutron-rich exotic 78Ni in ground as well as excited states
Recent experimental observation of magicity in [Formula: see text]Ni has infused the interest to examine the persistence of the magic character across the [Formula: see text] shell gap in extremely neutron-rich exotic nucleus [Formula: see text]Ni in ground as well as excited states. A systematic study of Ni isotopes and [Formula: see text] isotones in ground state is performed within the microscopic framework of relativistic mean-field (RMF) theory and the triaxially deformed Nilsson–Strutinsky model (NSM). Ground state density distributions, charge form factors, radii, separation energies, pairing energies, single-particle energies and the shell corrections show strong magicity in [Formula: see text]Ni. Excited nuclei are treated within the statistical theory of hot rotating nuclei where the variations of level density parameter and entropy show significant magicity with a deep minima at [Formula: see text], which persists up to the temperatures [Formula: see text]1.5–2[Formula: see text]MeV and then slowly disappears with increasing temperature. Rotational states are evaluated and effect of rotation on [Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text]) isotones are studied. Our results agree very well with the available experimental data and few other theoretical calculations.