Time-dependent properties of proton decay from crossing single-particle metastable states in deformed nuclei

A dynamical study of the decay of a metastable state by quantum tunneling through an anisotropic, nonseparable, two-dimensional potential barrier is performed by the numerical solution of the time-dependent Schr{umlt o}dinger equation. Initial quasistationary proton states are chosen in the framework of a deformed Woods-Saxon single-particle model. The decay of two sets of states corresponding to true and quasi-level-crossing is studied and the evolution of their decay properties as a function of nuclear deformation is calculated around the crossing point. The results show that the investigation of the proton decay from metastable states in deformed nuclei can unambiguously distinguish between the two types of crossing and determine the structure of the nuclear states involved. {copyright} {ital 1998} {ital The American Physical Society}