Pairing correlations in an explicitly particle-number conserving approach

A method to treat pairing correlations in an explicitly particle-number conserving approach is proposed and discussed. It appears to be both tractable and reliable while using state of the art effective interactions, e.g. of the Skyrme type, for the particle-hole matrix elements. It corresponds to a highly truncated shell-model calculation approach. Its fast convergence in the particle-hole basis is due to the use of single-particle states stemming from an Hartree-Fock-like mean field defined from a one-body density matrix including self-consistently the one-body effect of the correlations. Results obtained in an non-fully consistent fashion, in that the residual interaction is mocked up by a delta interaction, are presented. They mainly confirm most of the physical properties underlying the BCS-like solutions, in particular the paramount importance of pair transfers. However in weak pairing situations, e.g. near subshell- or shell-closures, they provide a microscopic description quite at variance with the usual impaired solutions. These features are illustrated mostly for the ground state of the rigidly deformed Hf-178 nucleus and its various high-K isomeric states. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.