Quantum fluctuations concerning the shape of nuclei are treated within the framework of covariant density functional theory. Long range correlations beyond mean field are taken into account by configuration mixing of wave functions with triaxial shapes and the restoration of spontaneously broken rotational symmetries through three-dimensional angular momentum projection. The "controversial" nucleus 16C is treated as an example and it is found that its ground state has a triaxial shape but with large shape fluctuations. They are of crucial importance for a proper description of the spectroscopic properties of such nuclei.
We briefly review the study of the exotic atoms and exotic nuclei, and report recent research activities of eta-mesic nucleus and kaonic atoms in this article.
The magic numbers in exotic nuclei are discussed, and their novel origin is shown to be the spin-isospin dependent part of the nucleon-nucleon interaction in nuclei. The importance and robustness of this mechanism is shown in terms of meson exchange, G-matrix and QCD theories. In neutron-rich exotic nuclei, magic numbers such as N = 8, 20, etc. can disappear, while N = 6, 16, etc. arise, affecting the structure of lightest exotic nuclei to nucleosynthesis of heavy elements.
Charge form factors corresponding to proton density distributions in exotic nuclei, such as $^{6,8}$He, $^{11}$Li, $^{17,19}$B and $^{14}$Be are calculated and compared. The results can be used as tests of various theoretical models for the exotic nuclei structure in possible future experiments using a colliding electron-exotic nucleus storage ring. The result of such a comparison would show the effect of the neutron halo or skin on the proton distributions in exotic nuclei.
The connection between neutrino physics, nucleosynthesis of elements in astrophysical sites, laboratory measurements with rare exotic nuclei and astronomical observations is discussed. The key role played by neutrinos is emphasized and the close connection between neutrino physics and nucleosynthesis is highlighted.
The main progresses in the multinucleon transfer reactions at energies close to the Coulomb barrier are reviewed. After a short presentation of the experimental progress and theoretical progress,the predicted production cross sections for unknown neutron-rich heavy nuclei and the trans-uranium nuclei are presented.
Electron scattering will provide the most direct information about charge distribution in exotic nuclei. A technical proposal for an electron-heavy-ion collider has been incorporated in the GSI/Germany physics program (spokesperson: Haik Simon - GSI). The main purpose is to study the structure of nuclei far from the stability line. In this work I explore the possibilities to study charge distributions of nuclei far form the stability line with the proposed facility.
Low-energy multinucleon transfer reactions are shown to be very effective tool for the production and spectroscopic study of light exotic nuclei. The corresponding cross sections are found to be significantly larger as compared with high energy fragmentation reactions. Several optimal reactions for the production of extremely neutron rich isotopes of elements with Z=6-14 are proposed.
Recent results obtained, often in fruitful collaboration with Japanese colleagues in the study of the interplay between single-particle and collective degrees of freedom are reviewed.
The Relativistic Continuum Hartree-Bogoliubov (RCHB) theory, which properly takes into account the pairing correlation and the coupling to (discretized) continuum via Bogoliubov transformation in a microscopic and self-consistent way, has been reviewed together with its new interpretation of the halo phenomena observed in light nuclei as the scattering of particle pairs into the continuum, the prediction of the exotic phenomena -- giant halos in nuclei near neutron drip line, the reproduction of interaction cross sections and charge-changing cross sections in light exotic nuclei in combination…
The progress in the modeling of exotic nuclei with an extreme neutron-to-proton ratio is discussed. Two topics are emphasized: (i) the quest for the universal microscopic nuclear energy density functional and (ii) the progress in the continuum shell model.
Modelling breakup reactions with exotic nuclei represents a challenge in several ways. The CDCC method (continuum discretized coupled channel) has been very successful in its various applications. Here, we briefly mention a few developments that have contributed to the progress in this field as well as some pertinent problems that remain to be answered.
We discuss in this paper both the past and the present of two-nucleon transfer reactions, as well as try to foresee the near future of such studies in nuclei, induced by light as well as by heavy ion reactions.
In weakly bound exotic nuclei, number of excited bound states or narrow resonances is small and, moreover, they couple strongly to the particle continuum. Hence, these systems should be described in the quantum open system formalism which does not artificially separate the subspaces of (quasi-) bound and scattering states. The Shell Model Embedded in the Continuum provides a novel approach which solves this problem. Examples of application in sd-shell nuclei will be presented.
The open issues in the development of models for the breakup of exotic nuclei and the link with the extraction of structure information from experimental data are reviewed. The question of the improvement of the description of exotic nuclei within reaction models is approached in the perspective of previous analyses of the sensitivity of these models to that description. Future developments of reaction models are suggested, such as the inclusion of various channels within one model. The search for new reaction observables that can emphasise more details of exotic nuclear structure is also prop…
Journal of Combinatorial Theory, Series B, 98(1):173-225, 2008n exotic nuclei are studied in the framework of a fully self-consistent relativistic continuum random phase approximation (RCRPA). In this method the contribution of the continuum spectrum to nuclear excitations is treated exactly by the single particle Green's function. Different from the cases in stable nuclei, there are strong low-energy excitations in neutron-rich nuclei and proton-rich nuclei. The neutron or proton excess pushes the centroid of the strength function to lower energies and increases the fragmentation of the stren…
For a better understanding of the dynamics of exotic nuclei it is of crucial importance to develop a practical microscopic theory easy to be applied to a wide range of masses. Theoretically the basic task consists in formulating an easy solvable theory able to reproduce structures and transitions of known nuclei which should be then used to calculate the sparely known properties of proton- or neutron-rich nuclei. In this paper we start by calculating energies and distributions of A\leq4 nuclei withing a unitary correlation model restricted to include only two-body correlations. The structure o…
The bare NN-potential, parametrized so as to reproduce the nuclear phase shifts leads to a sizable Cooper pair binding energy in nuclei along the stability valley. It is a much debated matter whether this value accounts for the "empirical" value of the pairing gap or whether a similarly important contribution arises from the exchange of collective vibrations between Cooper pair partners. In keeping with the fact that two-particle transfer reactions are the specific probe of pairing in nuclei, and that exotic halo nuclei like 11Li are extremely polarizable, we find that the recent studied react…
The competition among reaction processes of a weakly-bound projectile at intermediate times of a slow collision has been unraveled. This has been done using a two-center molecular continuum within a semiclassical, time-dependent coupled-channel reaction model. Dynamical probabilities of elastic scattering, transfer and breakup agree with those derived from the direct integration of the time-dependent Schrödinger equation, demonstrating the usefulness of a two-center molecular continuum for gaining insights into the reaction dynamics of exotic nuclei.
Theoretical results for giant resonances in the three doubly magic exotic nuclei $^{78}$Ni, $^{100}$Sn and $^{132}$Sn are obtained from Hartree-Fock (HF) plus Random Phase Approximation (RPA) calculations using the D1S parametrization of the Gogny two-body effective interaction. Special attention is paid to full consistency between the HF field and the RPA particle-hole residual interaction. The results for the exotic nuclei, on average, appear similar to those of stable ones, especially for quadrupole and octupole states. More exotic systems have to be studied in order to confirm such a trend…
This paper presents a short overview of the shell-model approach with realistic effective interactions to the study of exotic nuclei. We first give a sketch of the current state of the art of the theoretical framework of this approach, focusing on the main ingredients and most relevant recent advances. Then, we present some selected results for neutron-rich nuclei in various mass regions, namely oxygen isotopes, $N=40$ isotones, and nuclei around $^{132}$Sn, to show the merit as well as the limits of these calculations.
We report on systematical optical model (OM) and continuum discretized coupled channel (CDCC) calculations applied to describe the elastic scattering angular distributions of exotic and stable nuclei projectiles on heavy targets. Our optical potential (OP) is composed of the nuclear microscopic double folding São Paulo potential (SPP), derived from the nonlocal nature of the interaction, and the Coulomb dipole polarization (CDP) potential, derived from the semiclassical theory of Coulomb excitation. The OP is compared to the trivial equivalent local potential (TELP), extracted from CDCC calcul…
Starting from successful self-consistent mean-field models, this paper discusses why and how to go beyond the mean field approximation. To include long-range correlations from fluctuations in collective degrees of freedom, one has to consider symmetry restoration and configuration mixing, which give access to ground-state correlations and spectroscopy.
Slater determinants built from the single-particle wave functions of the analytically solvable Ginocchio potential are used to approximate the self-consistent Hartree-Fock solutions for the ground states of nuclei. The results indicate that the Ginocchio potential provides a good parametrization of the nuclear mean field for a wide range of nuclei, including those at the limit of particle stability.
A deformed relativistic Hartree-Bogoliubov (DRHB) model is developed aiming at a proper description of exotic nuclei, particularly deformed ones with large spatial extension. In order to give an adequate description of both the contribution of the continuum and the large spatial distribution in exotic nuclei, the DRHB equations are solved in a Woods-Saxon basis in which the radial wave functions have proper asymptotic behaviors at large distance from the nuclear center which is crucial for the formation of halo. The formalism and the numerical procedure of the DRHB model in a Woods-Saxon basis…
We report on a study of exotic nuclei around doubly magic 132Sn in terms of the shell model employing a realistic effective interaction derived from the CD-Bonn nucleon-nucleon potential. The short-range repulsion of the bare potential is renormalized by constructing a smooth low-momentum potential, V-low-k, that is used directly as input for the calculation of the effective interaction. In this paper we focus attention on the nuclei 134Sn and 135Sb which, with an N/Z ratio of 1.68 and 1.65, respectively, are at present the most exotic nuclei beyond 132Sn for which information exists on excite…
By performing fully 3D symmetry-unrestricted Skyrme-Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov calculations, we discuss shape coexistence and possibility of exotic deformations simultaneously breaking the reflection and axial symmetries in proton-rich N=Z nuclei: 64Ge, 68Se, 72Kr, 76Sr, 80Zr and 84Mo. Results of calculation indicate that the oblate ground state of 68Se is extremely soft against the Y33 triangular deformation, and that the low-lying spherical minimum coexisting with the prolate ground state in 80Zr may be unstable against the Y32 tetrahedral deformation.
This work presents an approach to nuclear spin-isospin response, which is capable of describing the overall strength distribution up to high excitation energies, including the fine structure of the low-lying strength, and resolving the long-standing quenching problem. The model is a covariant realization of the nuclear field theory and based on the self-consistent extensions of the covariant energy density functional (CEDF) theory. Results of the recent calculations for spin-isospin response of ordinary and exotic medium-mass nuclei are presented and discussed.
Nuclear superfludity in exotic nuclei close to the drip lines and in the inner crust matter of neutron stars have common features which can be treated with the same theoretical tools. In the first part of my lecture I discuss how two such tools, namely the HFB approach and the linear response theory can be used to describe the pairing correlations in weakly bound nuclei, in which the unbound part of the energy spectrum becomes important. Then, using the same models, I shall discuss how the nuclear superfluidity can affect the thermal properties of the inner crust of neutron stars.
Using HF+BCS method we study light nuclei with nuclear charge in the range $2 \leq Z \leq 8$ and lying near the neutron drip line. The HF method uses effective Skyrme forces and allows for axial deformations. We find that the neutron drip line forms stability peninsulas at $^{18}$He and $^{40}$C. These isotopes are found to be stable against one neutron emission and possess the highest known neutron to proton ratio in stable nuclei.
The structure of exotic nuclei sheds new light on the linkage of the nuclear structure to the nucleonic interaction. The self-consistent mean-field (SCMF) theories are useful to investigate this linkage, which are applicable to many nuclei covering almost the whole range of the nuclear chart without artificial truncation of model space. For this purpose, it is desired to develop effective interaction for the SCMF calculations well connected to the bare nucleonic interaction. Focusing on ground-state properties, I show results of the SCMF calculations primarily with the M3Y-type semi-realistic …
Theoretical predictions and experimental discoveries for neutron-rich, short-lived nuclei far from stability indicate that the familiar concept of nucleonic shell structure should be considered as less robust than previously thought. The notion of single-particle motion in exotic nuclei is reviewed with a particular focus on three aspects: (i) variations of nuclear mean field with neutron excess due to tensor interactions; (ii) importance of many-body correlations; and (iii) influence of open channels on properties of weakly bound and unbound nuclear states.
We calculate the differential cross sections for proton elastic scattering on the exotic halo nuclei $^6$He and $^8$He at energies around $\sim$0.7 GeV at the momentum transfers squared up to 0.30 (GeV/$c$)$^2$ and investigate the influence of the nucleon centre-of-mass correlations on the calculated cross sections. In particular, we show that the approximate account of the centre-of-mass correlations used previously considerably overestimates the cross sections at high values of the momentum transfer.
The excited states of Be-12, Be-14 and B-15 have been studied with a method of antisymmetrized molecular dynamics. In the predicted excited states we find novel molecule-like structures with very exotic clusters such as 6He+8He in Be-14 and 6He+9Li in B-15. The origin of the He-6 cluster development in the very neutron-rich nuclei is understood by the new-type correlation among 4 neutrons and 2 protons. In this paper we also present our recent challenge to study $sd$-shell nuclei. Shape coexistence problems in Ar-36 and Ca-40 are discussed.
Recent theoretical calculations predict a possible existence of nuclei with tetrahedral symmetry: more precisely, the mean-field hamiltonians of such nuclei are symmetric with respect to double point-group Td. In this paper, we focus on the neutron-rich Zirconium isotopes as an example and present realistic mean-field calculations which predict tetrahedral ground-state configurations in 108,110Zr and low-lying excited states of tetrahedral symmetry in a number of N > 66 isotopes. The motivations for focusing on these nuclei, as well as a discussion of the possible experimental signatures of te…
A relativistic approach to describe nuclear and in general strongly interacting matter is introduced and discussed. Here, not only the nuclear forces but also the masses of the nucleons are generated through meson fields. Within this framework it is possible to calculate properties of finite nuclei at a level of accuracy similar to dedicated relativistic nuclear structure models. Due to the more general approach, a wider range of properties of hadronic states can be investigated. A number of results for heavy and neutron-rich nuclei toward the drip line are presented.
Finite amplitude method based on the deformed relativistic Hartree-Bogoliubov theory in continuum (DRHBc-FAM) is developed and applied to study isoscalar giant monopole resonance in exotic nuclei. Validation of the numerical implementation is examined for $^{208}\textrm{Pb}$. The isoscalar giant monopole resonances for even-even calcium isotopes from $^{40}\textrm{Ca}$ to the last bound neutron-rich nucleus $^{80}\textrm{Ca}$ are calculated, and a good agreement with the available experimental centroid energies is obtained for $^{40-48}\textrm{Ca}$. For the exotic calcium isotopes, e.g., $^{68…
I develop a microscopic three-cluster model for exotic light nuclei. I use the hyperspherical formalism, associated with the Generator Coordinate Method. This model is well adapted to halo nuclei, since the long-range part of the radial wave functions is accurately reproduced. The core wave functions are described in the shell model, including excited states. This technique provides large bases, expressed in terms of projected Slater determinants. Matrix elements involve seven-dimension integrals, and therefore require long calculation times. I apply the model to 11Li, 14Be, 15B, and 17N descr…
The incompressibility of finite fermionic systems is investigated using analytical approaches and microscopic models. The incompressibility of a system is directly linked to the zero-point kinetic energy of constituent fermions, and this is a universal feature of fermionic systems. In the case of atomic nuclei, this implies a constant value of the incompressibility in medium-heavy and heavy nuclei. The evolution of nuclear incompressibility along Sn and Pb isotopic chains is analyzed using global microscopic models, based on both non-relativistic and relativistic energy functionals. The result…
The INFN (Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics) has approved a national theoretical network on "Structure and Reactions with Exotic Nuclei". The project involves the INFN branches of Laboratorio Nazionale del Sud, Padova and Pisa. The aim of the project is to start coordinating and to homogenize the research already performed in Italy in this field and to strengthen and improve the Italian contribution on the international scenario. Furthermore it aims at creating a solid theoretical structure to support future experimental facilities at the INFN national laboratories such as SPES at…
Assuming a binary reaction mechanism, the yield of isotopes near the heaviest $N=Z$ neutron-deficit nucleus $^{100}$Sn is studied with a microscopic transport model. The large influence of nuclear shell structure and isotope composition of the colliding nuclei on the production of exotic nuclei is demonstrated. It is shown that the reaction $^{54}$Fe+$^{106}$Cd seems to be most favourable for producing primary exotic Sn isotopes which may survive if the excitation energy in the entrance reaction channel is less than about 100 MeV. In the case of large differences in the charge (mass) numbers b…
The evolution of the PDR strength with the neutron excess is investigated in Sn isotopic and N=82 isotonic chains with regard to its possible connection with the neutron skin thickness. For this purpose a recently proposed method incorporating both HFB and multi-phonon QPM theory is applied. Analysis of the corresponding neutron and proton dipole transition densities is presented.
We report on a study of neutron-rich nuclei around doubly magic 132Sn in terms of the shell model employing a realistic effective interaction derived from the CD-Bonn nucleon-nucleon potential. The short-range repulsion of the bare potential is renormalized by constructing a low-momentum potential, V-low-k, that is used directly as input for the calculation of the effective interaction. We present results for the four nuclei beyond the N=82 shell closure 134Sn, 134Sb, 136Sb, and 136Te. Comparison shows that our results are in very good agreement with the experimental data presently available f…
Exotic and drip-line nuclei as well as nuclei immersed in a low density gas of neutrons in the outer crust of neutron stars are systematically investigated with respect to their neutron pairing properties. This is done using Skyrme density-functional and different pairing forces such as a density-dependent contact interaction and a separable form of a finite-range Gogny interaction. Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov and BCS theories are compared. It is found that neutron pairing is reduced towards the drip line while overcast by strong shell effects. Furthermore resonances in the continuum can have an i…
A Multi-Channel Algebraic Scattering (MCAS) theory is presented with which the properties of a compound nucleus are found from a coupled-channel problem. The method defines both the bound states and resonances of the compound nucleus, even if the compound nucleus is particle unstable. All resonances of the system are found no matter how weak and/or narrow. Spectra of mass-7 nuclei and of {}^{15}F, and MCAS results for a radiative capture cross section are presented.
Shell model wave functions have been used to form microscopic g-folding optical potentials with which elastic scattering data from 8He, 10,11C, and 18,20,22O scattering on hydrogen has been analyzed. Those potentials, the effective two-nucleon interaction used in their formation, and the shell model details, then have been used in distorted wave approximation calculations of differential cross sections from inelastic scattering to the first excited states of five of those radioactive ions.
The elastic electron scattering form factors, longitudinal and transverse, from the He and Li isotopes and from 8B have been studied. Large space shell model functions have been assumed. The precise distribution of the neutron excess has little effect on the form factors of the isotopes though there is a mass dependence in the charge densities. However, the form factors of the proton-rich nucleus, 8B, are significantly changed by the presence of the proton halo.
The experimentally available data on the alpha decay half lives and Q? values for 96 superheavy nuclei are used to fix the parameters for a modified version of the Brown empirical formula through two fitting procedures which enables its comparison with similar fits using Viola-Seaborg and Royer formulas. The new expressions provide very good agreement with experimental data having fewer or the same number of parameters. All formulas with the obtained parameters are then extrapolated to generate half lives predictions for 125 unknown superheavy alpha emitters. The nuclei where the employed empi…
The abrupt structure change from the nuclei of $N=Z \le 35$ to those of $N=Z \ge 36$ is investigated by means of shell model calculations. The basic features of the even-even and odd-odd nuclei under consideration are nicely reproduced. A sudden jump of nucleons into the upper $g_{9/2}d_{5/2}$ shell at $N=Z=36$ is found to be the main reason that causes the qualitative structure difference. It is argued that the structure change can be viewed as a decisive change of the mean field, or a phase transition, along the $N=Z$ line.
We use the canonical Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov basis to implement a completely self-consistent quasiparticle-random-phase approximation with arbitrary Skyrme energy density functionals and density-dependent pairing functionals. The point of the approach is to accurately describe multipole strength functions in spherical even-even nuclei, including weakly-bound drip-line systems. We describe the method and carefully test its accuracy, particularly in handling spurious modes. To illustrate our approach, we calculate isoscalar and isovector monopole, dipole, and quadrupole strength functions in sev…
In this paper we examine to what extent traces of alpha-clustering can be found in mean-field ground states of $nα$-nuclei from Be8 through Ar36 as well as in some superdeformed states in S32, Ar36, and Ca40. For this purpose we calculate the overlap of the mean-field Slater determinant with one containg pure Gaussians and perfect spin and isospin symmetry, optimizing the overlap by varying the alpha-particle positions and radii. In some cases a coherent sum over different configurations is also employed. We find quite large overlaps for some of the lighter systems that diminish for nuclei abo…
Results for elastic electron scattering by nuclei, calculated with charge densities of Skyrme forces and covariant effective Lagrangians that accurately describe nuclear ground states, are compared against experiment in stable isotopes. Dirac partial-wave calculations are performed with an adapted version of the ELSEPA package. Motivated by the fact that studies of electron scattering off exotic nuclei are intended in future facilities in the commissioned GSI and RIKEN upgrades, we survey the theoretical predictions from neutron-deficient to neutron-rich isotopes in the tin and calcium isotopi…
We study the correlations between two neutrons in borromian nuclei $^{11}$Li and $^6$He by using a three-body model with a density-dependent contact two-body interaction. It is shown that the two neutrons show a compact bound feature at the nuclear surface due to the mixing of single particle states of different parity. We study the Coulomb breakup cross sections of $^{11}$Li and $^6$He using the same three-body model. We show that the concentration of the B(E1) strength near the threshold can be well reproduced with this model as a typical nature of the halo nuclei. The energy distributions o…
We study the correlation between the thickness of the neutron skin in finite nuclei and the nuclear symmetry energy for isotopic chains of even-even Ni, Sn, and Pb nuclei in the framework of the deformed self-consistent mean-field Skyrme HF+BCS method. The symmetry energy, the neutron pressure and the asymmetric compressibility in finite nuclei are calculated within the coherent density fluctuation model using the symmetry energy as a function of density within the Brueckner energy-density functional. The mass dependence of the nuclear symmetry energy and the neutron skin thickness are also st…
The structures and distributions of light nuclei are investigated within a microscopic correlation model. Two particle correlations are responsible for the scattering of model particles either to low momentum- or to high momentum-states. The low momentum states form the model space while the high momentum states are used to calculate the G-matrix. The three and higher order particle correlations do not play a role in the latter calculation especially if the correlations induced by the scattering operator are of sufficient short range. They modify however, via the long tail of the nuclear poten…
In this paper, we first give a brief review of the theoretical framework for microscopic shell-model calculations starting from the free nucleon-nucleon potential. In this context, we discuss the use of the low-momentum nucleon-nucleon interaction V-low-k in the derivation of the shell-model effective interaction and emphasize its practical value as an alternative to the Brueckner G-matrix method. Then, we present some results of our current study of exotic nuclei around doubly magic 132Sn, which have been obtained starting from the CD-Bonn potential renormalized by use of the V-low-k approach…
[Background] Reactions with stable beams have demonstrated a strong interplay between nuclear structure and fusion. Exotic beam facilities open new perspectives to understand the impact of neutron skin, large isospin, and weak binding energies on fusion. Microscopic theories of fusion are required to guide future experiments. [Purpose] To investigate new effects of exotic structures and dynamics in near-barrier fusion with exotic nuclei. [Method] Microscopic approaches based on the Hartree-Fock (HF) mean-field theory are used for studying fusion barriers in $^{40-54}$Ca+$^{116}$Sn reactions fo…
A recent paper [M. Rashdan, Phys. Rev. C 63, 044303 (2001)] introduces the new parameterization NL-RA1 of the relativistic mean-field model which is claimed to give a better description of nuclear properties than earlier ones. Using this model ^{298}114 is predicted to be a doubly-magic nucleus. As will be shown in this comment these findings are to be doubted as they are obtained with an unrealistic parameterization of the pairing interaction and neglecting ground-state deformation.
A new semiempirical formula, with only three parameters, is proposed for cluster decay half-lives. The parameters of the formula are obtained by making a least square fit to the available experimental data. The calculated half-lives are compared with an other model-independent scaling law proposed earlier by Horoi {\it et al}. Also, the calculated results of this formula are compared with the recent results of the preformed cluster model for $^{12}$C and $^{14}$C emissions from different deformed and superdeformed Nd and Gd parents. The results are in good agreement with experiments as well as…
