Toroidal States of the $^{12}$C Nucleus

Abstract: Among the states of $^{12}$C, there is an important subset of $K$=0 and $K$=$I$ planar intrinsic states in which the intrinsic motion of the nucleons are confined in the planar region defined by the three-alpha cluster or by their generated toroid. The intrinsic nuclear densities of these states are toroidal in nature. We study these $^{12}$C toroidal states from the generator-coordinate viewpoints in both the alpha cluster model and the toroidal shell model. Numerical solutions in the toroidal mean field approximation are examined to pave the way for future extensions and refinements.