Nonlinear dynamics of giant resonances in atomic nuclei

The dynamics of monopole giant resonances in nuclei is analyzed in the time-dependent relativistic mean-field model. The phase spaces of isoscalar and isovector collective oscillations are reconstructed from the time series of dynamical variables that characterize the proton and neutron density distributions. The analysis of the resulting recurrence plots and correlation dimensions indicates regular motion for the isoscalar mode, and chaotic dynamics for the isovector oscillations. Information-theoretic functionals identify and quantify the nonlinear dynamics of giant resonances in quantum systems that have spatial as well as temporal structure.