Abstract: We studied alpha clustering in ¹⁸Ne and compared it with alpha clustering in the mirror nucleus ¹⁸O. As far as we know, this is one of the first detailed experimental studies of clustering phenomena in mirror systems.

We measured the excitation function for α + ¹⁴O resonant elastic scattering in the excitation-energy range from 8 to 17 MeV. Measurements were performed at the Texas A&M University Cyclotron Institute using the active target detector TexAT. From a multichannel-R-Matrix analysis, we obtained detailed spectroscopic information on the excited states in ¹⁸Ne. We compared our results to those on ¹⁸O reported by Avila et al. As is expected due to isospin symmetry, we observed a good correspondence between the levels in ¹⁸O and ¹⁸Ne.

We also performed an extensive shell-model analysis using the configuration interaction technique. Comparing experimental results with the shell model, we noticed a good agreement between the predicted and observed states allowing further configurational categorization of the strong cluster states. There is also an indication that the superradiance mechanism is essential in generating clustering in ¹⁸Ne and ¹⁸O. Our data indicate that, in mirror states, the state with the largest alpha partial width is also the one with the highest alpha spectroscopic factor. Superradiance may, in principle, explain this trend. Experimental results will be presented and compared to the theory.