During past years the description of nuclear structure using relativistic energy density functionals has shown its efficiency and its ability to explain a wide spectrum of phenomena. It has been shown that among them the clustering phenomenon has been particularly well described [1].

Nuclei can display two very different kinds of behavior. When long-range correlations prevail, they behave as quantum liquids while in other cases, they exhibit crystalline properties [2]. We will discuss these phenomena in terms of quantum phase transitions and analyze someof the necessary conditions to the emergence of clusters.

In a second part we will also discuss the effects of two and four body correlations, namely pairing and quartetting and the differents theoretical ways to describe them (Mean-Field and Coupled Cluster [3] techniques).

We will conclude by a study of the effects of theses correlations on the global structure of the the nucleus and especially on clustering [4].



[1] J.P. Ebran, E. Khan, D. Vretenar, T. Niksic, Nature 487,341344 (2012).

[2] J.P. Ebran, E. Khan, T. Niksic, D. Vretenar, PRC 89,031303(R) (2014).

[3] A. Signoracci, T. Duguet, G. Hagen, G. R. Jansen, Phys. Rev. C 91,064320 (2015).

[4] R.D Lasseri, J.P. Ebran, E. Khan, N. Sandulescu, D. Vretenar, in preparation.