The effect of nuclear deformation on level statistics

We analyze the nearest neighbor spacing distributions of low-lying 2(+) levels of even-even nuclei. We grouped the nuclei into classes defined according to the quadrupole deformation parameter (beta(2)). We calculate the nearest neighbor spacing distributions for each class. Then, we determine the chaoticity parameter for each class with the help of the Bayesian inference method. We compare these distributions against a formula that describes the transition to chaos by varying a tuning parameter. This parameter appears to depend in a non-trivial way on the nuclear deformation, and takes small values indicating regularity in strongly deformed nuclei and especially in those having an oblate deformation.