The universal properties and structure of halo nuclei composed of two neutrons (2n) and a core are investigated within an effective quantum mechanics framework. We construct an effective interaction potential that exploits the separation of scales in halo nuclei and treat the nucleus as an effective three-body system. The uncertainty from higher orders in the expansion is quantified through theoretical error bands. First, we investigate the possibility to observe excited Efimov states in 2n halo nuclei. Based on the experimental data, 20C is the only halo nucleus candidate to possibly have an Efimov excited state, with an energy less than 7 keV below the scattering threshold. Second, we study the structure of 20C and other 2n halo nuclei. In particular, we calculate their matter form factors, radii, and two-neutron opening angles.
A comment on the importance of core polarization in halo nuclei. I point out that although core polarization is suppressed in neutron halos, it plays an essential role in their binding mechanism.
We develop the method for the calculation of the total reaction cross sections induced by the halo nuclei and stable nuclei. This approach is based on the Glauber theory, which is valid for nuclear reactions at high energy. It is extended for nuclear reactions at low energy and intermediate energy by including both the quantum correction and Coulomb correction under the assumption of the effective nuclear density distribution. The calculated results of the total reaction cross section induced by stable nuclei agree well with the 30 experimental data within 10 percent accuracy.The comparison be…
We set up a formalism to calculate the charge form factors of two-neutron halo nuclei with S-wave neutron-core interactions in the framework of the halo effective field theory. The method is applied to some known and suspected halo nuclei. In particular, we calculate the form factors and charge radii relative to the core to leading order in the halo EFT and compare to experiments where they are available. Moreover, we investigate the general dependence of the charge radius on the core mass and the one- and two-neutron separation energies.
Halo nuclei are characterized by a few weakly bound halo nucleons and a more tightly bound core. This separation of scales can be exploited in a few-body description of halo nuclei, since the detailed structure of the core is not resolved by the halo nucleons. We present an introduction to the effective (field) theory for low-energy properties of halo nuclei. The focus is on halos with S-wave interactions for which universal properties are most pronounced. The special role of the unitary limit is illustrated using the example of multineutron systems and the Efimov effect as a universal binding…
We present a microscopic study of halo nuclei, starting from the Paris and Bonn potentials and employing a two-frequency shell model approach. It is found that the core-polarization effect is dramatically suppressed in such nuclei. Consequently the effective interaction for halo nucleons is almost entirely given by the bare G-matrix alone, which presently can be evaluated with a high degree of accuracy. The experimental pairing energies between the two halo neutrons in $^6$He and $^{11}$Li nuclei are satisfactorily reproduced by our calculation. It is suggested that the fundamental nucleon-nuc…
We investigate conditions for the occurrence of Efimov states in the recently discovered halo nuclei. These states could appear in systems, where one neutron is added to a pronounced one-neutron halo nucleus. Detailed calculations of the properties of the states are presented and promising candidates are discussed.
A study of the effect of deformation and pairing on the development of halo nuclei is presented. Exploratory three-body $core+n+n$ calculations show that both the NN interaction and the deformation/excitation of the core hinder the formation of the halo. Preliminary self-consistent mean-field calculations are used to search for regions in the nuclear chart where halos could potentially develop. These are also briefly discussed.
We investigate the formation cross sections of the deeply bound pionic atoms on halo nuclei theoretically. We consider one-neutron pick-up (d,3He) reaction for the pionic atom formation and find that the formation rate is significantly increased by the existence of the halo neutron with long tail of the wave function. This enhancement is expected to increase the experimental feasibility for the formation of the deeply bound pionic states on beta-unstable nuclei.
The halo nuclei $^6$He and $^8$He are described in a consistent way in a microscopic multiconfiguration model, the refined resonating group method. The ground state properties have been calculated, and momentum distributions of fragments and neutrons have been determined in a simple reaction scenario, taking into account final-state interactions. The correlation of neutrons and fragments are investigated.
It is shown that the three-body non-Borromean halo nuclei like ^{12}Be, ^{18}C, ^{20}C have p-wave virtual states with energy of about 1.6 times the corresponding neutron-core binding energy. We use a renormalizable model that guarantees the general validity of our results in the context of short range interactions.
A systematic study of the root-mean-square distance between the constituents of weakly-bound nuclei consisting of two halo neutrons and a core is performed using a renormalized zero-range model. The radii are obtained from a universal scaling function that depends on the mass ratio of the neutron and the core, as well as on the nature of the subsystems, bound or virtual. Our calculations are qualitatively consistent with recent data for the neutron-neutron root-mean-square distance in the halo of $^{11}$Li and $^{14}$Be nuclei.
The even-Z odd-N neutron-halo nuclei, which are the possible lightest neutron-halo nuclei heavier than $^{37}$Mg, are explored by studying the shell-structure unique in weakly-bound neutrons for spherical or deformed shape. It is pointed out that due to the narrowed N=50 spherical energy-gap and a few resulting close-lying neutron one-particle levels, 1g$_{9/2}$, 3s$_{1/2}$, and 2d$_{5/2}$, for spherical shape, nuclei with some weakly-bound neutrons filling in those levels may be deformed and have a good chance to show deformed s-wave halo. Promising candidates are $^{71}_{24}$Cr$_{47}$, $^{73…
We exploit the separation of scales in weakly-bound nuclei to compute E2 transitions and electric form factors in a Halo EFT framework. The relevant degrees of freedom are the core and the halo neutron. The EFT expansion is carried out in powers of $R_{core}/R_{halo}$, where $R_{core}$ and $R_{halo}$ denote the length scales of the core and halo, respectively. We include the strong $s$-wave and $d$-wave interactions by introducing dimer fields. The dimer propagators are regulated by employing the power divergence subtraction scheme and matched to the effective range expansion in the respective…
The sensitive correlations between the low-density halo structure and the high-density properties of the nuclear equation of state (EOS) are constructed in light kaonic nuclei with the relativistic mean-field theory. More specifically, the $1p_{1/2}$ halo spreads out linearly with increasing the pressure and sound velocity square at supra-normal densities and quadratically with decreasing the incompressibility at saturation density. These results suggest that the novel halo in light kaonic nuclei can serve as a sensitive indicator of the nuclear EOS of symmetric matter at supra-normal densitie…
Three-body calculations of (d,p) and (p,d) reactions involving one-neutron halo nuclei 11Be and 15C are performed using the framework of Faddeev-type scattering equations. Important effects of the optical potential nonlocality are found improving the description of the experimental data. The obtained values for the neutron spectroscopic factor are consistent with estimations from other approaches.
A relativistic coupled-channels theory for the calculation of dissociation cross sections of halo nuclei is developed. A comparison with non-relativistic models is done for the dissociation of $^{8}$B projectiles. It is shown that neglecting relativistic effects leads to seizable inaccuracies in the extraction of the astrophysical S-factor for the proton+beryllium radiative capture reaction.
We investigate the use of elastic and inelastic scatterings with secondary beams of radioactive nuclei as a mean to obtain information on ground state properties and transition matrix elements to continuum states. An eikonal model is developed for this purpose by using the folding potential. In particular we discuss possible signatures of halo wavefunctions in elastic and inelastic scattering experiments.
We investigate the role of higher multipole excitations in the electromagnetic dissociation of one-neutron halo nuclei within two different theoretical models -- a finite range distorted wave Born approximation and another in a more analytical method with a finite range potential. We also show, within a simple picture, how the presence of a weakly bound state affects the breakup cross section.
Fusion reactions of neutron-halo nuclei are investigated theoretically with a three-body model. The time-dependent wave-packet method is used to solve the three-body Schrodinger equation. The halo neutron behaves as a spectator during the Coulomb dissociation process of the projectile. The fusion cross sections of 11Be-209Bi and 6He-238U are calculated and are compared with measurements. Our calculation indicates that the fusion cross section is slightly hindered by the presence of weakly bound neutrons.
The neutron skin and halo distributions in medium and heavy nuclei are calculated within the extended Thomas-Fermi approximation. Calculations are carried out for the effective Skyrme-like forces using the direct variational method. The analytical expression for the isovector shift of the rms radii $Δr_{np}$ as a sum of skin- and halo-like terms is obtained. The contribution of halo and skin terms to $Δr_{np}$ are found to be approximately equal.
An unified shell model scheme to evaluate simultaneously the contribution of antibound states and Gamow resonances to the nuclear halos is presented. The calculations, performed in the complex energy plane, are applied to the case of $^{11}$Li. It is found that $^{11}$Li may develop a resonant state excitation near the breakup threshold.
The proton and neutron density distributions, one- and two-neutron separation energies and radii of nuclei for which neutron halos are experimentally observed, are calculated using the self-consistent Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov method with the effective interaction of Gogny. Halo factors are evaluated assuming hydrogen-like antiproton wave functions. The factors agree well with experimental data. They are close to those obtained with Skyrme forces and with the relativistic mean field approach.
Nuclei at both the neutron- and proton-drip lines are studied. In the cluster-core model, the halo-structure of all the observed and proposed cases of neutron- or proton-halos is investigated in terms of simple potential energy surfaces calculated as the sum of binding energies, Coulomb repulsion, nuclear proximity attraction and the centrifugal potential for all the possible cluster+core configurations of a nucleus. The clusters of neutrons and protons are taken to be unbound, with additional Coulomb energy added for proton-clusters. The model predictions agree with the available experimental…
We consider the Parity Nonconserving (PNC) mixing in the ground state of exotic (halo) nuclei caused by the PNC weak interaction between outer neutron and nucleons within nuclear interior. For the nucleus $^{11}Be$ as an example of typical nucleus with neutron halo, we use analytical model for the external neutron wave functions to estimate the scale of the PNC mixing. The amplitude of the PNC mixing in halo state is found to be an order of magnitude bigger than that of typical PNC mixing between the ``normal'' nuclear states in nearby nuclei. The enhanced PNC mixing in halo cloud is proportio…
Our understanding of halo nuclei has so far relied on high-energy scattering and reactions, but a number of uncertainties remain. I discuss in general terms the new range of observables which will be measured by experiments around the Coulomb barrier, and how some details of the reaction mechanisms still need to be clarified.
Nuclear many-body theory is used to study nuclear matter and finite nuclei at extreme isospin. In-medium interactions in asymmetric nuclear matter are obtained from (Dirac-) Brueckner theory. Neutron skin formation in Ni and Sn isotopes is investigated by relativistic mean-field calculations in DDRH theory with density dependent meson-nucleon vertices. Applications to light nuclei are discussed with special emphasis on pairing and core polarization in weakly bound nuclei. Approaches accounting for continuum coupling in dripline pairing and core polarization are presented. Calculations for the …
The rapid Gaussian falloff of the oscillator functions at large radius makes them poorly suited for the description of the asymptotic properties of the nuclear wave function, a problem which becomes particularly acute for halo nuclei. We consider an alternative basis for ab initio no-core configuration interaction (NCCI) calculations, built from Coulomb-Sturmian radial functions, allowing for realistic exponential falloff. NCCI calculations are carried out for the neutron halo nuclei 6,8He, as well as the baseline case 4He, with the JISP16 nucleon-nucleon interaction. Estimates are made for th…
The formalism to describe electron scattering reactions on two-neutron halo nuclei is developed. The halo nucleus is described as a three-body system (core+n+n), and the wave function is obtained by solving the Faddeev equations in coordinate space. We discuss elastic and quasielastic scattering using the impulse approximation to describe the reaction mechanism. We apply the method to investigate the case of electron scattering on $^6$He. Spectral functions, response functions, and differential cross sections are calculated for both neutron knockout and $α$ knockout by the electron.
An analytical model is developed to study the spectra of electromagnetic dissociation of two-neutron halo nuclei without precise knowledge about initial and final states. Phenomenological three-cluster bound state wave functions, reproducing the most relevant features of these nuclei, are used along with no interaction final states. The 6-He nucleus is considered as a test case, and a good agreement with experimental data concerning the shape of the spectrum and the magnitude of the strength function is found.
Halo/Cluster Effective Field Theory describes halo/cluster nuclei in an expansion in the small ratio of the size of the core(s) to the size of the system. Even in the point-particle limit, neutron halo nuclei have a finite charge radius, because their center of mass does not coincide with their center of charge. This point-particle contribution decreases as $1/A_c$, where $A_c$ is the mass number of the core, and diminishes in importance compared to other effects, e.g., the size of the core to which the neutrons are bound. Here we propose that for heavy cores the EFT expansion should account f…
The parametric region in the plane defined by the ratios of the energies of the subsystems and the three body ground state, in which Efimov states can exist, is determined. We use a renormalizable model that guarantees the general validity of our results in the context of short range interactions. The experimental data for one and two-neutron separation energies, implies that among the halo-nuclei candidates, only C-20 has a possible Efimov state, with energy less than 14 KeV below the scattering threshold.
We explore the rotational feature of deformed halos by performing the angular momentum projection (AMP) on the ground state wave functions obtained from the deformed relativistic Hartree-Bogoliubov theory (DRHBc) in continuum. The DRHBc+AMP approach self-consistently describes the coupling between single particle bound states and the continuum not only in the ground state but also in rotational states. The rotational modes of deformed halos in $^{42}$Mg and $^{44}$Mg are investigated by studying properties of rotational states such as excitation energy, configuration, and density distribution.…
E2 properties of A=6--10 nuclei, including those of nuclei far from stability, are studied by a $(0+2)\hbarω$ shell-model calculation which includes E2 core-polarization effects explicitly. The quadrupole moments and the E2 transition strengths in A=6--10 nuclei are described quite well by the present calculation. This result indicates that the relatively large value of the quadrupole moment of $^8$B can be understood without introducing the proton-halo in $^8$B. An interesting effect of the $2\hbarω$ core-polarization is found for effective charges used in the $0\hbarω$ shell model; although …
Reaction and elastic differential cross sections are calculated for light nuclei in the framework of the Glauber theory. The optical phase-shift function is evaluated by Monte Carlo integration. This enables us to use the most accurate wave functions and calculate the phase-shift functions without approximation. Examples of proton nucleus (e.g. p-$^6$He, p-$^6$Li) and nucleus-nucleus (e.g. $^6$He$-^{12}$C) scatterings illustrate the effectiveness of the method. This approach gives us a possibility of a more stringent analysis of the high-energy reactions of halo nuclei.
Using halo effective field theory (EFT), an expansion in $R_{core}/R_{halo}$, where $R_{core}$ is the radius of the core and $R_{halo}$ the radius of the halo nucleus, we calculate the charge and neutron form factors of the two-neutron halo nuclei $^{11}$Li, $^{14}$Be, and $^{22}$C to next-to-leading-order (NLO) by treating them as an effective three-body system. From the form factors we extract the point charge and point matter radii, inter-neutron distance, and neutron opening angle. Agreement is found with existing experimental extractions. Results are given for the point charge and point m…
All possible dissociation cross sections for the loosely bound three-body halo nuclei $^6$He (n+n+$α$) and $^{11}$Li (n+n+$^{9}$Li) are computed as functions of target and beam energy. Both Coulomb and nuclear interactions are included in the same theoretical framework. The measurements agree with the calculations for energies above 100 Mev/nucleon. The largest cross sections correspond to final states with zero or three particles for heavy and with two neutrons for light targets.
We discuss the effect of the coupling to the break-up channel on the total fusion involving a halo nucleus with a heavy target. We show that there is a competition between the hindrance arising from this coupling, mostly at above barrier energies, and the enhancement which ensues at sub-barrier energies owing to the static effect of the extended matter distribution and the coupling to the soft modes.
The range corrections to the universal properties and structure of two-neutron halo nuclei are investigated within an effective quantum mechanics framework. Treating the nucleus as an effective three-body system, we make a systematic improvement upon previous calculations by calculating the linear range corrections at next-to-leading order. Since the effective ranges for the neutron-core interactions are not known, we estimate the effective range to be set by the inverse of the pion mass. We investigate the possibility of excited Efimov states in two-neutron halo nuclei and calculate their mea…
An analytical model, recently developed to study the electromagnetic dissociation (EMD) energy spectra of two-neutron halo nuclei, is applied to 11-Li and 14-Be. We find that a reliable set of experimental data on EMD could help to resolve the problem concerning the structure of the 11-Li ground state. For 14-Be we find a mutual inconsistency between the existing experimental data on the binding energy, radius and EMD energy spectrum. We also conclude that the structure of 14-Be is essentially more complicated than the structure of other Borromean two--neutron halo nuclei.
We analyze the effects of finite-range corrections in halo effective field theory for S-wave proton halo nuclei. We calculate the charge radius to next-to-leading order and the astrophysical S-factor for low-energy proton capture to fifth order in the low-energy expansion. As an application, we confront our results with experimental data for the S-factor for proton capture on Oxygen-16 into the excited $1/2^+$ state of Fluorine-17. Our low-energy theory is characterized by a systematic low-energy expansion, which can be used to quantify an energy-dependent model error to be utilized in data fi…
Microscopic Study of Charge Properties in Halo Nuclei
College of Physics, Jilin University（吉林大学物理学院）；Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo（东京大学理学研究科物理学系）；Quark Nuclear Science Institute, The University of Tokyo（东京大学夸克核科学研究所）；RIKEN Center for Interdisciplinary Theoretical and Mathematical Sciences (iTHEMS)（理化学研究所交叉理论与数学科学中心（iTHEMS））；National Key Laboratory of Neutron Science and Technology, Institute of Nuclear Physics and Chemistry, China Academy of Engineering Physics（中国工程物理研究院核物理与化学研究所中子科学与技术国家重点实验室）
The recent developments of radioactive nuclear beams has opened up the possibility of exploring a wide variety of nuclei far from the valley of beta-stability. Of late several theoretical studies have come up in the past for describing nuclei in these exotic region. Extension of traditional shell model techniques to explain the exotic feature in the structure of these nuclei such as, formation of neutron halo large r.m.s radii, soft dipole resonances etc have confirmed the necessity to modify the single particle shell model potential when dealing with nuclei far from stability. The ground stat…
Halo phenomena in deformed nuclei are investigated within a deformed relativistic Hartree Bogoliubov (DRHB) theory. These weakly bound quantum systems present interesting examples for the study of the interdependence between the deformation of the core and the particles in the halo. Contributions of the halo, deformation effects, and large spatial extensions of these systems are described in a fully self-consistent way by the DRHB equations in a spherical Woods-Saxon basis with the proper asymptotic behavior at large distance from the nuclear center. Magnesium and neon isotopes are studied and…
The continuum-discretized coupled-channels (CDCC) method is used to study the breakup of weakly-bound nuclei at intermediate energies collisions. For large impact parameters, the Eikonal CDCC (E-CDCC) method was applied. The effects of Lorentz contraction on the nuclear and Coulomb potentials have been investigated in details. Such effects tend to increase cross sections appreciably. We also show that, for loosely-bound nuclei, the contribution of the so-called close field is small and can be neglected.
With the binding energies and configurations determined experimentally, the root-mean-square radii are calculated for a number of single-particle states by numerically solving the Sch{ö}rdinger equations. By studying the relations between the radii and separation energies, the new scaling laws and necessary conditions for neutron halos and proton halos are established, respectively. Especially the existence region of true proton halos is pointed out. It is found that the effects of short-distance behaviours of valence nucleons at the edges of interaction potentials can not be disregarded. More…
We study the postacceleration of charged fragments in reactions with unstable nuclear beams. For elastic breakup processes we show that the postaceleration effect can be well understood in terms of closed analytical forms derived in a quantum mechanical formulation. This gives theoretical support to the effect experimentally observed in the breakup of Li-11 projectiles at intermediate energies.
The dissociation of halo nuclei through their collision with light and heavy targets is considered within the Continuum Discretized Coupled Channels theory. We study the one-proton halo nucleus $^8$B and the one-neutron halo nucleus $^{11}$Be, as well as the more normal $^7$Be. The procedure previously employed to extract the Coulomb dissociation cross section by subtracting the nuclear one is critically assessed, and the scaling law usually assumed for the target mass dependence of the nuclear breakup cross section is also tested. It is found that the nuclear breakup cross section for these v…
The radii of nucleon distribution and neutron skin in nuclei beyond the β-stability line are studied within the extended Thomas-Fermi approximation. We show that the growth of neutron skin in unstable nuclei does not obey the saturation condition because of the neutron coat. The neutron coat indicates the possibility of giant neutron halo which is growing with moving away from the beta stability line. We demonstrate the presence of strong shell oscillations in the charge radius R_C and the relation of R_C to the isospin shift of neutron-proton chemical potentials Δλ=λ_n-λ_p for nuclei beyond t…
We study halo nuclei using a two-frequency shell-model approach employing wave functions of two different oscillator constants $\hbarω_{in}$ and $\hbarω_{out}$, the former for the inner orbits and the latter for the halo (outer) orbits. An initial application has been made for the halo nuclei $^6$He and $^6$Li, with $0s_{1/2}$ taken as the inner and ( $0p_{3/2}$, $0p_{1/2}$) as the halo orbits. Starting from the Paris NN interaction, we have derived a G-matrix folded-diagram effective interaction for this two-frequency model space, using an essentially exact treatment for the Pauli exclusion o…
Data for the scattering of 6He, 8He, 9Li, and 11Li from hydrogen are analyzed within a fully microscopic folding model of proton-nucleus scattering. Current data suggest that of these only 11Li has a noticeable halo. For 6He, we have also analysed the complementary reaction 6Li(gamma,pi)6He(gs). The available data for that reaction support the hypothesis that 6He may not be a halo nucleus. However, those data are scarce and there is clearly a need for more to elicit the microscopic structure of 6He.
Halo nuclei projectiles can undergo into a fragmentation process when scattered by a nucleus target. The corresponding core from exotic nuclei is usually observed while the others fragments of the reaction are not. We use the recently proposed theory by [Phys. Lett. B767, 53 (2017)] with a four-body description of the inclusive breakup reaction where the projectile is 20C described like a two-neutron halo nucleus. The momentum of both neutrons are integrated out giving a generic description of the core angular distribution. In this preliminary study we perform an analysis of the inclusive inel…
We discuss the spin-dependence of the effective two-body interactions appropriate for three-body computations. The only reasonable choice seems to be the fine and hyperfine interactions known for atomic electrons interacting with the nucleus. One exception is the nucleon-nucleon interaction imposing a different type of symmetry. We use the two-neutron halo nucleus 11Li as illustration. We demonstrate that models with the wrong spin-dependence are basically without predictive power. The Pauli forbidden core and valence states must be consistently treated.
We use the three-body model and the sudden approximation to compute angular correlations in high-energy fragmentation reactions of two-neutron halos on light targets. The contribution from one-neutron absorption by far dominates over that of neutron scattering. We use 6He (n+n+alpha) and 11Li (n+n+9Li) as examples and study the dependence of the predictions of this model on different physical assumptions and parameters. PACS number(s): 25.60.-t, 25.60.Gc, 21.45.+v}
The Relativistic Hartree Bogoliubov (RHB) model is applied in the self-consistent mean-field approximation to the description of the neutron halo in the mass region above the s-d shell. Pairing correlations and the coupling to particle continuum states are described by finite range two-body forces. Finite element methods are used in the coordinate space discretization of the coupled system of Dirac-Hartree-Bogoliubov integro-differential eigenvalue equations, and Klein-Gordon equations for the meson fields. Calculations are performed for the isotopic chains of Ne and C nuclei. We find evidence…
The fusion reaction of a halo nucleus 11Be on 208Pb is described by a three-body direct reaction model. A time-dependent wave packet approach is applied to a three-body reaction problem. The wave packet approach enables us to obtain scattering solutions without considering the three-body scattering boundary conditions. The time evolution of the wave packet also helps us to obtain intuitive understanding of the reaction dynamics. The calculations indicate a decrease of the fusion probability by the presence of the halo neutron.
We study weakly-bound deformed nuclei based on the coordinate-space Skyrme Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov approach, in which a large box is employed for treating the continuum and surface diffuseness. Approaching the limit of core-halo deformation decoupling, calculations found an exotic "egg"-like structure consisting of a spherical core plus a prolate halo in $^{38}$Ne, in which the resonant continuum plays an essential role. Generally the halo probability and the decoupling effect in heavy nuclei are reduced compared to light nuclei, due to denser level densities around Fermi surfaces. However, de…
Full Faddeev-type calculations are performed for $^{11}$Be breakup on proton target at 38.4, 100, and 200 MeV/u incident energies. The convergence of the multiple scattering expansion is investigated. The results are compared with those of other frameworks like Distorted Wave Impulse Approximation that are based on an incomplete and truncated multiple scattering expansion.
