A systematic comparison is conducted for pairing properties of finite systems at nonzero temperature as predicted by the exact solutions of the pairing problem embedded in three principal statistical ensembles, as well as the unprojected (FTBCS1+SCQRPA) and Lipkin-Nogami projected (FTLN1+SCQRPA) theories that include the quasiparticle number fluctuation and coupling to pair vibrations within the self-consistent quasiparticle random-phase approximation. The numerical calculations are performed for the pairing gap, total energy, heat capacity, entropy, and microcanonical temperature within the doubly-folded equidistant multilevel pairing model. The FTLN1+SCQRPA predictions agree best with the exact grand-canonical results. In general, all approaches clearly show that the superfluid-normal phase transition is smoothed out in finite systems. A novel formula is suggested for extracting the empirical pairing gap in reasonable agreement with the exact canonical results.
We study the pairing Hamiltonian in a set of non degenerate levels. First, we review in the path integral framework the spontaneous breaking of the U(1) symmetry occurring in such a system for the degenerate situation. Then the behaviors with the coupling constant of the ground state energy in the multilevel and in the degenerate case are compared. Next we discuss, in the multilevel case, an exact strong coupling expansion for the ground state energy which introduces the moments of the single particle level distribution. The domain of validity of the expansion, which is known in the macroscopi…
The quantum mechanical consideration of a passage of relativistic elementary atoms (EA) through a target matter is given. A set of quantum-kinetic equations for the density matrix elements describing their internal state evolution at EA rest frame is derived.
By introducing the intrinsic pair operators which commute with number fluctuation operator, a new formalism is given for the number-conserving description of the pairing correlations. The difficulty in the conventional RPA treatment for pairing rotation is removed.
We propose a description of pairing properties in finite systems within the canonical and microcanonical ensembles. The approach is derived by solving the BCS and self-consistent quasiparticle random-phase approximation with the Lipkin-Nogami particle-number projection at zero temperature. The obtained eigenvalues are embedded into the canonical and microcanonical ensembles. The results obtained are found in quite good agreement with the exact solutions of the doubly-folded equidistant multilevel pairing model as well as the experimental data for $^{56}$Fe nucleus. The merit of the present app…
The theoretical approach to consideration of the Hamiltonian with pairing forces using a technique of the finite boson representation is developed. It is shown that a simultaneous description of the pairing vibrational state in $^{56}$Ni and the pairing rotational states with $T$=0 in the neighboring $N=Z$ nuclei is possible if the pairing Hamiltonian takes into account only isovector monopole pairing. However, the calculated energies of the pairing rotational states of $N=Z$ nuclei removed from $^{56}$Ni by 12 and more nucleons exceed significantly the experimental values. The possible reason…
As a model for a deformed nucleus the many level pairing model (picket fence model with ~100 levels) is considered in four approximations and compared to the exact solution given by Richardson long time ago. It is found that, as usual, the number projected BCS method improves over standard BCS but that it is much less accurate than the more sophisticated many-body-approaches which are Coupled Cluster Theory (CCT) in its SUB2 version or Self-Consistent Random Phase Approximation (SCRPA).
Nuclear pairing properties are studied within an approach that includes the quasiparticle-number fluctuation (QNF) and coupling to the quasiparticle-pair vibrations at finite temperature and angular momentum. The formalism is developed to describe non-collective rotations about the symmetry axis. The numerical calculations are performed within a doubly-folded equidistant multilevel model as well as several realistic nuclei. The results obtained for the pairing gap, total energy and heat capacity show that the QNF smoothes out the sharp SN phase transition and leads to the appearance of a therm…
An approach is proposed to nuclear pairing at finite temperature and angular momentum, which includes the effects of the quasiparticle-number fluctuation and dynamic coupling to pair vibrations within the self-consistent quasiparticle random-phase approximation. The numerical calculations of pairing gaps, total energies, and heat capacities are carried out within a doubly folded multilevel model as well as several realistic nuclei. The results obtained show that, in the region of moderate and strong couplings, the sharp transition between the superconducting and normal phases is smoothed out, …
We discuss the HFB equations in coordinate representation,a suitable method for handling the full effects of the continuous quasiparticle spectrum. We show how the continuum HFB equations can be solved with the correct asymptotic conditions instead of the discretization conditions which are commonly used in the literature. The continuum HFB method is illustrated with a model where the mean field and pairing field have simple forms. The relationship with the continuum Hartree-Fock-BCS (HF-BCS) approximation is also discussed. Realistic HFB and HF-BCS calculations based on Skyrme interactions ar…
Aspects of the phase change of the two-level pairing model are investigated in the semi-classical treatment by using the variational approch with the mixed-mode coherent state. In the classical limit, $hbar \to 0$, the sharp phase transition appears and the two phases exist in the region where the force strength is larger than a certain critical value. However, it is shown that, in the semi-classical treatment, the above-mentioned behavior of the phase change disappears in the analytical and the numerical treatments. As a result, new understanding about aspects of the phase change in this mode…
The blocking effect caused by the odd particle on the pairing properties of systems with odd number of fermions at finite temperature interacting via the monopole pairing force is studied within several approximations. The results are compared with the predictions obtained by using the exact solutions of the pairing Hamiltonian. The comparison favors the approximation with the odd particle occupying the top level, which is the closest to the Fermi surface and whose occupation number decreases with increasing temperature.
An approach to pairing in finite nuclei at nonzero temperature is proposed, which incorporates the effects due to the quasiparticle-number fluctuation (QNF) around Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) mean field and dynamic coupling to quasiparticle-pair vibrations within the self-consistent quasiparticle random-phase approximation (SCQRPA). The numerical calculations of pairing gap, total energy, and heat capacity were carried out within a doubly folded multilevel model as well as realistic nuclei $^{56}$Fe and $^{120}$Sn. The results obtained show that, under the effect of QNF, in the region of m…
The ground state correlations induced by a general pairing Hamiltonian in a finite system of like fermions are described in terms of four-body correlated structures (quartets). These are real superpositions of products of two pairs of particles in time-reversed states. Quartets are determined variationally through an iterative sequence of diagonalizations of the Hamiltonian in restricted model spaces and are, in principle, all distinct from one another. The ground state is represented as a product of quartets to which, depending on the number of particles (supposed to be even, in any case), an…
We give the exact solution of orbit dependent nuclear pairing problem between two non-degenerate energy levels using the Bethe ansatz technique. Our solution reduces to previously solved cases in the appropriate limits including Richardson's treatment of reduced pairing in terms of rational Gaudin algebra operators.
A survey of pairing properties of nucleonic matter is presented that includes the off-shell propagation associated with short-range and tensor correlations. For this purpose, the gap equation has been solved in its most general form employing the complete energy and momentum dependence of the normal self-energy contributions. The latter correlations include the self-consistent calculation of the nucleon self-energy that is generated by the summation of ladder diagrams. This treatment preserves the conservation of particle number unlike approaches in which the self-energy is based on the Brueck…
A proper treatment of the resonant continuum is to take account of not only the energy of the resonant state, but also its width. The effect of the resonant states on pairing correlations is presented based on the relativistic mean field theory plus Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer(BCS) approximation with a constant pairing strength. The study is performed in an effective Lagrangian with the parameter set NL3 for neutron rich even-even Ni isotopes. The results show that the contribution of the proper treatment of the resonant continuum to pairing correlations for those nuclei close to neutron drip li…
We discuss the treatment of isovector pairing by an alpha-like quartet condensate which conserves exactly the particle number, the spin and the isospin. The results show that the quartet condensate describes accurately the isovector pairing correlations in the ground state of systems with an equal number of protons and neutrons
We study odd-even mass staggering of nuclei, also called pairing gaps, using a Skyrme self-consistent mean-field theory and a numerically exact treatment of the pairing Hamiltonian. We find that the configuration-space Monte Carlo method proposed by Cerf and Martin offers a practical computational procedure to carry out the numerical solutions in large-dimensional model spaces. Refitting the global strength of the pairing interaction for 443 neutron pairing gaps in our number-conserving treatment, we find the correction to the pairing correlation energies and pairing gaps to have rms values of…
High-spin rotational bands in rare-earth Er ($Z=68$), Tm ($Z=69$) and Yb ($Z=70$) isotopes are investigated by three different nuclear models. These are (i) the cranked relativistic Hartree-Bogoliubov (CRHB) approach with approximate particle number projection by means of the Lipkin-Nogami (LN) method, (ii) the cranking covariant density functional theory (CDFT) with pairing correlations treated by a shell-model-like approach (SLAP) or the so called particle-number conserving (PNC) method, and (iii) cranked shell model (CSM) based on the Nilsson potential with pairing correlations treated by t…
Effects of resonant single-particle (s.p.) states on the pairing correlations are investigated by an exact treatment of the pairing Hamiltonian on the Gamow shell model basis. We introduce the s.p. states with complex energies into the Richardson equations. The solution shows the property that the resonant s.p. states with large widths are less occupied. The importance of many-body correlations between bound and resonant prticle pairs is shown.
In many applications to finite Fermi-systems, the pairing problem has to be treated exactly. We suggest a numerical method of exact solution based on SU(2) quasispin algebras and demonstrate its simplicity and practicality. We show that the treatment of binding energies with the use of the exact pairing and uncorrelated monopole contribution of other residual interactions can serve as an effective alternative to the full shell-model diagonalization in spherical nuclei. A self-consistent combination of the exactly treated pairing and Hartree-Fock method is discussed. Results for Sn isotopes ind…
We present an overview of the Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov (HFB) theory of nucleonic superfluidity for finite nuclei. After introducing basic concepts related to pairing correlations, we show how the correlated pairs are incorporated into the HFB wave function. Thereafter, we present derivation and structure of the HFB equations within the superfluid nuclear density functional formalism and discuss several aspects of the theory, including the unitarity of the Bogoliubov transformation in truncated single-particle and quasiparticle spaces, form of the pairing functional, structure of the HFB continu…
The influence of thermal fluctuations on fermion pairing is investigated using a semiclassical treatment of fluctuations. When the average pairing gaps along with those differing by one standard deviation are used, the characteristic discontinuity of the specific heat at the critical temperature $T_c$ in the BCS formalism with its most probable gap becomes smooth. This indicates the suppression of a second order phase transition as experimentally observed in nano-particles and several nuclei. Illustrative calculations using the constant spacing model and the recently introduced random spacing …
Extending the Kruppa's prescription for the continuum level density, we have recently improved the BCS method with seniority-type pairing force in such a way that the effects of discretized unbound states are properly taken into account for finite depth single-particle potentials. In this paper, it is further shown, by employing the Woods-Saxon potential, that the calculation of spatial observables like nuclear radius converges as increasing the basis size in the harmonic oscillator expansion. Namely the disastrous problem of a "particle gas" surrounding nucleus in the BCS treatment can be cir…
We study the application of the exact renormalisation group to a many-fermion system with a short-range attractive force. We introduce a boson field to describe pairing effects, and take a simple ansatz for the effective action. We derive a set of approximate flow equations for the effective coupling including boson and fermionic fluctuations. The initial conditions are obtained by renormalising the interaction to fit the scattering length in vacuum. At some critical value of the running scale, the numerical solutions show a phase transition to a gapped phase. Standard results are recovered if…
The enhancement of radiative strength function (RSF) in the region of low $γ$-rays energy ($E_γ\leq 12$ MeV), which is caused by the pygmy dipole resonance (PDR), is treated within the phonon damping model (PDM) plus exact thermal pairing (EP) without adding any extra PDR strength function. The numerical calculations performed for $^{161-163}$Dy show that, because of the effect of EP, the EP+PDM can describe reasonably well the total RSF data in both low- and high-energy regions of $γ$-rays. Consequently, as compared to the conventional description within the phenomenological generalized Loren…
We study the ${}^{1}S_0$ proton pairing gap in beta-equilibrated neutron star matter within the framework of chiral effective field theory. We focus on the role of three-body forces, which strongly modify the effective proton-proton spin-singlet interaction in dense matter. We find that three-body forces generically reduce both the size of the pairing gap and the maximum density at which proton pairing may occur. The pairing gap is computed within BCS theory, and model uncertainties are estimated by varying the nuclear potential and the choice of single-particle spectrum in the gap equation. W…
Survival of Pairing Correlations and Shell Effects at Scission in Finite-Temperature Nuclear Fission: Implications for Odd-Even Staggering
National Centre for Nuclear Research（国家核研究中心）；China Institute of Atomic Energy, Nuclear Data Center（中国原子能科学研究院核数据中心）；Department of Theoretical Physics, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University（玛丽亚·居里-斯克沃多夫斯卡大学理论物理系）；Department of Physics, Tsinghua University（清华大学物理系）
The quartet condensation model (QCM) is extended for the treatment of isovector and isoscalar pairing in odd-odd N=Z nuclei. In the extended QCM approach the lowest states of isospin T=1 and T=0 in odd-odd nuclei are described variationally by trial functions composed by a proton-neutron pair appended to a condensate of 4-body operators. The latter are taken as a linear superposition of an isovector quartet, built by two isovector pairs coupled to the total isospin T=0, and two collective isoscalar pairs. In all pairs the nucleons are distributed in time-reversed single-particle states of axia…
Apart from the higher limits of isospin and temperature, the properties of atomic nuclei are intriguing and less explored at the limits of lowest but finite temperatures. At very low temperatures there is a strong interplay between the shell (quantal fluctuations), statistical (thermal fluctuations), and residual pairing effects as evidenced from the studies on giant dipole resonance (GDR). In our recent work [Phys. Rev. C \textbf{90}, 044308 (2014)], we have outlined some of our results from a theoretical approach for such warm nuclei where all these effects are incorporated along within the …
Using an exactly solvable pairing model Hamiltonian in the static path approximation together with small-amplitude quantal fluctuation corrections in random phase approximation (SPA+RPA), we have analyzed the behaviour of canonical (number projected) and grandcanonical treatments of nuclear level densities as a function of temperature and number of particles. For small particle numbers at a low temperature, we find that though the grandcanonical partition function in SPA+RPA approach is quite close to its exact value, the small errors in its estimation causes significant suppression of level d…
We consider the development of Cooper pairs in a self-consistent Hartree Fock mean field for the even Sm isotopes. Results are presented at the level of a BCS treatment, a number-projected BCS treatment and an exact treatment using the Richardson ansatz. While projected BCS captures much of the pairing correlation energy that is absent from BCS, it still misses a sizable correlation energy, typically of order $1 MeV$. Furthermore, because it does not average over the properties of the fermion pairs, the exact Richardson solution permits a more meaningful definition of the Cooper wave function …
The foundation of the local energy-density functional method to describe the nuclear ground-state properties is given. The method is used to investigate differential observables such as the odd-even mass differences and odd-even effects in charge radii. For a few isotope chains of spherical nuclei, the calculations are performed with an exact treatment of the Gor'kov equations in the coordinate-space representation. A zero-range cutoff density-dependent pairing interaction with a density-gradient term is used. The evolution of charge radii and nucleon separation energies is reproduced reasonab…
The shape evolutions of the pear-shaped nuclei $^{224}$Ra and even-even $^{144-154}$Ba with temperature are investigated by the finite-temperature relativistic mean field theory with the treatment of pairing correlations by the BCS approach. The free energy surfaces as well as the bulk properties including deformations, pairing gaps, excitation energy, and specific heat for the global minimum are studied. For $^{224}$Ra, three discontinuities found in the specific heat curve indicate the pairing transition at temperature 0.4 MeV, and two shape transitions at temperatures 0.9 and 1.0 MeV, namel…
We calculate the ground-state properties of well deformed, even-even N=Z nuclei in the region between Ni-56 and Sn-100 within two different approaches, focusing on the binding energy and deformation and pairing properties. First, we employ the Hartree-Fock-BCS (HFBCS) approximation with the Skyrme effective nucleon-nucleon interaction and discuss how the results depend on the parameterization of the interaction and on the pairing force parameters adjusted in various schemes to reproduce the experimental odd-even mass differences. Then, within the Higher Tamm-Dancoff Approximation (HTDA), which…
We review the exact treatment of the pairing correlation functions in the canonical ensemble. The key for the calculations has been provided by relating the discrete BCS model to known integrable theories corresponding to the so called Gaudin magnets with suitable boundary terms. In the present case the correlation functions can be accessed beyond the formal level, allowing the description of the cross-over from few electrons to the thermodynamic limit. In particular, we summarize the results on the finite size scaling behavior of the canonical pairing clarifying some puzzles emerged in the pa…
The rich phenomena of deformations in neutron-deficient krypton isotopes such as the shape evolution with neutron number and the shape coexistence attract the interests of nuclear physicists for decades. It will be interesting to study such shape phenomena using a novel way, i.e., by thermally exciting the nucleus. So in this work, we develop the finite temperature covariant density functional theory for axially deformed nuclei with the treatment of pairing correlations by BCS approach, and apply this approach for the study of shape evolutions in $^{72,74}$Kr with increasing temperatures. For …
Background: Pairing correlations play a critical role in determining numerous properties of open-shell nuclei. Traditionally, they are included in a mean-field description of atomic nuclei through the approximate Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer or Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov formalism. Purpose: We propose a new hybrid ''relativistic-mean-field-plus-pairing'' approach in which pairing is treated exactly so the number of particles is conserved. To verify the reliability of the formalism, we apply it to the study of both ground-state properties and isoscalar monopole excitations of the Tin isotopes. Method…
The application of the exact renormalisation group to symmetric as well as asymmetric many-fermion systems with a short-range attractive force is studied. Assuming an ansatz for the effective action with effective bosons, describing pairing effects a set of approximate flow equations for the effective coupling including boson and fermionic fluctuations has been derived. The phase transition to a phase with broken symmetry is found at a critical value of the running scale. The mean-field results are recovered if boson-loop effects are omitted. The calculations with two different forms of the re…
