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 $\Delta_{ sc}$ 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 $\Delta_{ sc}$ at moderate temperatures. In rare earth nuclei, it is found that $\Delta_{ sc}$ builds up strongly around the shape transition temperature; for lighter deformed nuclei like $^{ 64}Zn$ and $^{ 66}Zn$, this is relatively less prominent.
Categories: nucl-th