Topical collection on light clusters in nuclei and nuclear matter: nuclear structure and decay, heavy-ion collisions, and astrophysics

Recent progress to treat clustering in nuclear systems has an impact to different branches of nuclear theory. Numerical methods as well as many-body theory (Green-function methods) have been worked out to describe few-body clusters in a nuclear environment where medium effects, in particular the antisymmetrization of the wave function (Pauli blocking) are of relevance. Nuclear structure (Hoyle – like states), nuclear reactions, and consequences for astrophysics (neutron stars, supernova explosions) are emerging applications. The main topics were (1) Cluster models, structure of light nuclei, cluster quantum phase transition; (2) Reaction theory, α -decay of heavy and superheavy nuclei; (3) Clustering in nuclear matter and consequences for thermodynamic properties (4) Heavy-ion collisions and clustering in nonequilibrium systems, transport codes; (5) Astrophysical consequences of clustering.