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.

    1 Introduction Part 1 ZERO TEMPERATURE 2 Giant Vibrations 3 Random Phase Approximation 4 Beyond Mean Field Part 2 FINITE TEMPERATURE 5 Measurement of Giant Resonances 7 Concepts of Statistical Physics 8 Linear Response 9 Collision 10 Dipole Oscillations: Theory 11 Rotational Motion

    Biography

    P. F. Bortignon; A. Bracco Università di Milano and Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Italy R. A. Broglia Università di Milano and Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Italy Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Denmark