Chaos and structure of level densities

The energy region of the first few MeV above the ground state shows interesting features of the nucleus. Beyond an ordered energy region just above the ground-state the dynamics changes, and chaotic features are observed in the neutron resonance region. The statistical properties of energies and wave-functions are common to all chaotic nuclei. However, if instead a global property, like the local level-density function is studied, strong structure effects emerge. In this contribution we discuss these two different facets of warm nuclei. In section 2 the onset of chaos with increasing excitation energy is discussed, with both experimental observations and proposed theoretical mechanisms as starting points. The structure of level densities in the same excitation energy region based on the two different starting points, is treated in section 3, where we give a short presentation of a newly developed combinatorial level-density modell. Some results from the model are presented and discussed. Two coexisting facets of warm nuclei, quantum chaos and structure of the level density, are considered. A newly developed combinatorial level-density model is presented, and the role of collective enhancements discussed. An example of extreme parity enhancement is shown