Coupled-channels optical model calculations with account of nuclear volumeconservation

A coupled-channel formalism based on the soft-rotator model is proposed whi ch allows conservation of the nuclear volume for dynamically deformable nuc lei. The extra coupling term due to the volume conservation contributes to a stronger coupling between levels of same spin and parity. The effect is d emonstrated for the case of n + C-12 interaction leading to the O-2(+) stat e located at 7.65 MeV for incident neutron energies of 20 to 40 MeV. (C) 19 99 Elsevier Science B.V.