Nuclear Clustering in Fermionic Molecular Dynamics

Clustering plays an important role in the structure of nuclei, especially for light nuclei in the $p$-shell. In nuclear cluster models these degrees of freedom are introduced explicitly. In the Resonating Group Method or in the Generator Coordinate Method the clusters are built from individual nucleons interacting via an effective nucleon-nucleon interaction; the total wave function is antisymmetrized. Fermionic Molecular Dynamics (FMD) goes beyond pure cluster models. It is a microscopic many-body approach using a Gaussian wave packet basis that includes the harmonic oscillator shell model and Brink-type cluster model wave functions as special cases. Clustering is not imposed but appears dynamically in the calculations. The importance of clustering for the understanding of bound states, resonances and scattering states is illustrated with examples discussing the charge radii of the Neon isotopes, the $^3$He($\alpha$,$\gamma$)$^7$Be capture reaction and the cluster states in the $^{12}$C continuum.