Symmetry Based No Core Shell Model in a Deformed Basis*

To address current limitations of shell-model descriptions of large spatial deformation and cluster structures, we adopt a no-core shell model with a deformed harmonic oscillator basis and implement an angular momentum projection in a symmetry-adapted scheme. This approach allows us to reach larger model spaces as a result of computational memory savings for calculations of highly deformed states, such as the Hoyle state in C-12. The method is first tested with schematic interactions, but the ultimate goal is to carry forward calculations with realistic nucleon-nucleon interactions in future work.