Spin projection in the shell model Monte Carlo method and the spin distribution of nuclear level densities

We introduce spin projection methods in the shell model Monte Carlo approach and apply them to calculate the spin distribution of level densities for iron-region nuclei using the complete $(pf+g_{9/2})$-shell. We compare the calculated distributions with the spin-cutoff model and extract an energy-dependent moment of inertia. For even-even nuclei and at low excitation energies, we observe a significant suppression of the moment of inertia and odd-even staggering in the spin dependence of level densities.