Pairing transition of nuclei at finite temperature

Pairing transition at finite temperature was investigated by the shell model and BCS calculations. The definitive signature of pairing transition is identified by a "transition temperature" $T_t$ estimated from a "thermal" odd-even mass difference, while there is no sharp phase transition because of the finiteness of nucleus. It is found that $T_t$ is in good agreement with predictions of critical temperature $T_c$ in the BCS approximation, and the pairing correlations almost vanish at two points of the transition temperature $T\approx 2T_{t}$. The BCS calculations show that the critical temperature $T_c$ increases with increasing deformation.