Particle-hole level densities in deformed nuclei

A microscopic combinatorial approach is used to calculate the state and level densities with fixed exciton numbers, in some actinide nuclei. The deformed Woods-Saxon shell model was used as a basis from which all possible configurations were generated. The pairing interaction was taken into account by applying the BCS theory to each configuration. Both the spin and parity distributions were obtained, considering the deformation of the nucleus. Relevance of the result to parity nonconservation studies involving epithermal neutrons on U-238 and Th-232 is discussed. [S0556-2813(99)00312-X].