We compare the systematics of binding energies computed within the standard and extended versions of the relativistic mean-field (RMF) model and the Skyrme Hartree-Fock (SHF) model. The general trends for the binding energies for super-heavy nuclei are significantly different for these models. The SHF models tend to underbind the superheavy nuclei, while, RMF models show just the opposite trend. The extended RMF model seems to provide remarkable improvements over the results obtained for the standard RMF model.
The hypothesis of a large weak matrix element between single-particle states in heavy nuclei ($\sim 100$ eV) contradicts the results of atomic PNC experiments.
Cluster radioactivity is an exotic nuclear decay observed in actinides where a light nucleus is emitted while the remaining heavy mass residue is the doubly magic $^{208}$Pb or a nucleus in its neighborhood. We have investigated this type of decay in heavier nuclei up to Lv $(Z=116)$ within a microscopic theory. It has been found that super asymmetric fission with $^{208}$Pb as heavy fragment may be dominant decay channel in some super heavy nuclei. This reaction is closely related with cluster radioactivity.
In this contribution, we present the main relations of the Langevin approach to the description of fission or fusion-fission reactions. The results of Langevin calculations are shown for the mass distributions of fission fragments of super-heavy elements and used for the investigation of memory effects in nuclear fission.
Extensive efforts have been made experimentally to reach nuclei in the super heavy mass region of Z = 110 and above with suitable choices of projectile and target nuclei. The cross sections for production of these nuclei are seen to be in the range of a few picobarn or less, and pose great experimental challenges. Theoretically, there have been extensive calculations for highly asymmetric (hot-fusion) and moderately asymmetric (cold-fusion) collisions and only a few theoretical studies are available for near symmetric collisions to estimate the cross sections for production of super-heavy nucl…
Hartree-Fock calculations with the SKX Skyrme interaction are carried out to obtain alpha-decay Q values for deformed nuclei above $^{208}$Pb assuming axial symmetry. The results for even-even nuclei are compared with experiment and with previous calculations. Predictions are made for alpha-decay Q values and half-lives of even-even super-heavy nuclei. The results are also compared for the recently discovered odd-even chain starting at Z=112 and N=165.
Starting from light to superheavy nuclei, we have calculated the effective surface properties such as the symmetry energy, neutron pressure, and symmetry energy curvature using the coherent density fluctuation model. The isotopic chains of O, Ca, Ni, Zr, Sn, Pb, and Z = 120 are considered in the present analysis, which cover nuclei over the whole nuclear chart. The matter density distributions of these nuclei along with the ground state bulk properties are calculated within the spherically symmetric effective field theory motivated relativistic mean field model by using the recently developed …
We considered the systematics of $α$-decay (AD) half-life (HL) of super-heavy nuclei versus the decay energy and the total $α$-kinetic energy. We calculated the HL using the experimental Q_{$α$} values. The computed half-lives are compared with the experimental data and also with the existing empirical estimates and are found in good agreement. Also, we obtained $α$-preformation factors from the ratio between theoretical and experimental results for some super heavy nuclei SHN and evaluated the standard deviation. The results indicate the acceptability of the approach.
Total Ordinary Muon Capture (OMC) rates are calculated on the basis of the Quasiparticle Random Phase Approximation for several spherical nuclei from 90^Zr to 208^Pb. It is shown that total OMC rates calculated with the free value of the axial-vector coupling constant g_A agree well with the experimental data for medium-size nuclei and exceed considerably the experimental rates for heavy nuclei. The sensitivity of theoretical OMC rates to the nuclear residual interactions is discussed.
The basic version of the semi-microscopic particle-hole dispersive optical model is implemented to describe main properties of the Gamow-Teller and charge-exchange giant spin-monopole resonances in medium-heavy closed-shell parent nuclei. Calculation results obtained for $^{48}Ca$, $^{90}Zr$, $^{132}Sn$, and $^{208}Pb$ are compared with available experimental data.
A semi-microscopic approach based on both the continum-random-phase-approximation (CRPA) method and a phenomenological treatment of the spreading effect is extended and applied to describe the main properties (particle-hole strength distribution, energy-dependent transition density, partial direct-nucleon-decay branching ratios) of the isoscalar giant dipole, second monopole, and second quadrupole resonances. Abilities of the approach are checked by description of gross properties of the main-tone resonances. Calculation results obtained for the resonances in a few singly- and doubly-closed-sh…
The correlated basis function theory is applied to the study of medium-heavy doubly closed shell nuclei with different wave functions for protons and neutrons and in the jj coupling scheme. State dependent correlations including tensor correlations are used. Realistic two-body interactions of Argonne and Urbana type, together with three-body interactions have been used to calculate ground state energies and density distributions of the 12C, 16O, 40Ca, 48Ca and 208Pb nuclei.
Exotic cluster decay of very heavy nuclei is studied using the microscopic nuclear potentials obtained by folding density dependent M3Y effective interaction with the densities of the cluster and the daughter nuclei. The microscopic nuclear potential, Coulomb interaction and the centrifugal barrier arising out of spin-parity conservation are used to obtain the potential between the cluster and the daughter nuclei. Half life values are calculated in the WKB framework and the preformation factors are extracted. The latter values are seen to have only a very weak dependence on the mass of the emi…
The shell corrections and shell gaps in nuclei are systematically studied with the latest Weizsäcker-Skyrme (WS4) mass model. We find that most of asymmetric nuclei with (sub)-shell closures locate along the shell stability line (SSL), $N=1.37Z+13.5$, which might be due to a strong correlation between neutrons and protons near Fermi surface. The double magicity of nuclei $^{46}$Si and $^{78}$Ni is predicted according to the corresponding shell gaps, shell corrections and nuclear deformations. The unmeasured super-heavy nuclei $^{296}$118 and $^{298}$120, with relatively large shell gaps and sh…
The roles of isospin asymmetry in nuclei and neutron stars are investigated using a range of potential and field-theoretical models of nucleonic matter. The parameters of these models are fixed by fitting the properties of homogeneous bulk matter and closed-shell nuclei. We discuss and unravel the causes of correlations among the neutron skin thickness in heavy nuclei, the pressure of beta-equilibrated matter at a density of 0.1 fm$^{-3}$, and the radii of moderate mass neutron stars. The influence of symmetry energy on observables in heavy-ion collisions is summarized.
The rapid increase of computational power over the last several years has allowed detailed microscopic investigations of the structure of many nuclei in terms of Relativistic Mean Field theories as well as in the framework of the no-core Shell Model. In heavy deformed nuclei, in which microscopic calculations remain a challenge, algebraic models based on the SU(3) symmetry offer specific predictions, parameter-independent in several cases, directly comparable to experimental data. Two different approximate models for heavy deformed nuclei based on the SU(3) symmetry, the pseudo-SU(3) and the p…
The semimicroscopic particle-hole dispersive optical model (PHDOM) is implemented to describe main properties of Isoscalar Giant Multipole Resonances (up to L=3) in medium-heavy closed-shell nuclei. The main properties are characterized by the strength distribution, transition density, partial and total probabilities of direct one-nucleon decay. Calculation results obtained for the 208Pb nucleus are compared with available experimental data.
The microscopic justification of the emergence of SU(3) symmetry in heavy nuclei remains an interesting problem. In the past, the pseudo-SU(3) approach has been used, with considerable success. Recent results seem to suggest that the key for understanding the emergence of SU(3) symmetry lies in the properties of the proton-neutron interaction, namely in the formation of (S=1, T=0) p-n pairs in heavy nuclei, especially when the numbers of valence protons and valence neutrons are nearly equal. Although this idea has been around for many years, since the introduction of the Federman-Pittel mechan…
We present the first ab initio calculations of nuclear ground states up into the domain of heavy nuclei, spanning the range from 16-O to 132-Sn based on two- plus three-nucleon interactions derived within chiral effective field theory. We employ the similarity renormalization group for preparing the Hamiltonian and use coupled-cluster theory to solve the many-body problem for nuclei with closed sub-shells. Through an analysis of theoretical uncertainties resulting from various truncations in this framework, we identify and eliminate the technical hurdles that previously inhibited the step beyo…
We present a brief overview of microscopic nuclear structure approaches to nuclei with mass number from 100 to 132. The emphasis is on the shell model and theories for deriving effective interactions starting from the free interactions between nucleons. New results for (105,106,107)Sb are presented.
We study the isoscalar giant monopole resonance for drip-lines and super heavy nuclei in the frame work of a relativistic mean field theory with scaling approach. The well known extended Thomas-Fermi approximation in the non-linear $σ$-$ω$ model is used to estimate the giant monopole excitation energy for some selected light spherical nuclei starting from the region of proton to neutron drip-lines. The application is extended to super heavy region for Z=114 and 120, which are predicted by several models as the next proton magic number beyond Z=82. We compared the excitation energy obtained by …
Momentum distributions, spectroscopic factors and quasi-hole wave functions of medium-heavy doubly closed shell nuclei have been calculated in the framework of the Correlated Basis Function theory, by using the Fermi hypernetted chain resummation techniques. The calculations have been done by using microscopic two-body nucleon-nucleon potentials of Argonne type, together with three-body interactions. Operator dependent correlations, up to the tensor channels, have been used.
We calculate the spatial correlation of electrons and positrons emitted by internal pair conversion of Coulomb excited nuclei in heavy ion collisions. The alignment or polarization of the nucleus results in an anisotropic emission of the electron-positron pairs which is closely related to the anisotropic emission of $γ$-rays. However, the angular correlation in the case of internal pair conversion exhibits diverse patterns. This might be relevant when investigating atomic processes in heavy-ion collisions performed at the Coulomb barrier.
A statistical approach based on the Weisskopf evaporation theory has been developed to describe the de-excitation process of highly excited heavy and superheavy nuclei, in particular for the proton-rich nuclei. The excited nucleus is cooled by evaporating $γ$-ray, light particles (neutrons, protons, $α$ etc) in competition with the binary fission, in which the structure effects (shell correction, fission barrier, particle separation energy) contribute to the processes. The formation of residual nuclei is evaluated via sequential emission of possible particles above the separation energies. The…
The pervasive role of the nuclear symmetry energy in establishing some nuclear static and dynamical properties, and in governing some attributes of neutron star properties is highlighted.
Energies of the giant Gamow-Teller and analog resonances - $E_{\rm G}$ and $E_{\rm A}$, are presented, calculated using the microscopic theory of finite Fermi system. The calculated differences $ΔE_{\rm G-A}=E_{\rm G}-E_{\rm A}$ go to zero in heavier nuclei indicating the restoration of Wigner SU(4)-symmetry. The calculated $ΔE_{\rm G-A}$ values are in good agreement with the experimental data. The average deviation is 0.30 MeV for the 33 considered nuclei for which experimental data is available. The $ΔE_{\rm G-A}$ values were calculated for heavy and superheavy nuclei up to the mass number $…
A new model that includes the time-dependent dynamics of the single-particle (s.p.) motion in conjunction with the macroscopic evolution of the system is proposed for describing the compound nucleus (CN) formation in fusion of heavy nuclei. The diabaticity initially keeps the entrance system around its contact configuration, but the gradual transition from the diabatic to the adiabatic potential energy surface (PES) leads to fusion or quasifission. Direct measurements of the probability for CN formation are crucial to discriminate between the current models.
Within Fermionic Molecular Dynamics we investigate fragmentation of a compound system which was created in a heavy-ion collision at a beam energy in the Fermi energy domain and the decay of excited iron nuclei. We show that in FMD many-body correlations play an important role in the formation of fragments.
It is generally believed that isospin would diminish in its importance as we go towards heavy mass region due to isospin mixing caused by the growing Coulomb forces. However, it was realized quite early that isospin could become an important and useful quantum number for all nuclei including heavy nuclei due to neutron richness of the systems~\cite{robson}. Lane and Soper~\cite{lane} also showed in a theoretical calculation that isospin indeed remains quite good in heavy mass neutron rich systems. In this paper, we present isospin based calculations~\cite{jain,swati} for the fission fragment d…
The present-day nuclear structure theory exhibits a great degree of synergy with respect to methods that are used to describe various phenomena in heavy nuclear systems. From few-body methods, through the shell model to mean-field approaches, the bridges are being built between different ways of describing the stable as well as the most exotic nuclei. In the present talk, I give a review of several selected subjects that are currently at the fore front of new developments in this domain of nuclear science.
The effects of long- and short-range correlations on the charge distributions of some medium and heavy nuclei are investigated. The long-range correlations are treated within the Random Phase Approximation framework and the short-range correlations with a model inspired to the Correlation Basis Function theory. The two type of correlations produce effects of the same order of magnitude. A comparison with the empirical charge distribution difference between 206Pb and 205Tl shows the need of including both correlations to obtain a good description of the data.
It is suggested that the full nucleus-nucleus potential consists of the macroscopic and shell-correction parts. The deep sub-barrier fusion hindrance takes place in a nucleus-nucleus system with a strong negative shell-correction contribution to the full heavy-ion potential, while a strong positive shell-correction contribution to the full potential leads to weak enhancement of the deep sub-barrier fusion cross section.
The advantage of searching for violation of Time Reversal Invariance in neutron induced reactions using relative measurements of Time and Parity violating effects is discussed. This approach gives the enhancement of $T$-violating effects by many orders of magnitude and, at the same time, decrees theoretical uncertainties and experimental errors.
We systematically calculate the spontaneous fission half-lives for heavy and superheavy nuclei between U and Fl isotopes. The spontaneous fission process is studied within the semi-empirical WKB approximation. The potential barrier is obtained using a generalized liquid drop model, taking into account the nuclear proximity, the mass asymmetry, the phenomenological pairing correction, and the microscopic shell correction. Macroscopic inertial-mass function has been employed for the calculation of the fission half-life. The results reproduce rather well the experimental data. Relatively long hal…
The particle-hole dispersive optical model, developed recently, is applied to describe properties of high-energy isoscalar monopole excitations in medium-heavy mass spherical nuclei. We consider, in particular, the double transition density averaged over the energy of the isoscalar monopole excitations in $^{208}$Pb in a wide energy interval, which includes the isoscalar giant monopole resonance and its overtone. The energy-averaged strength functions of these resonances are also analyzed. Possibilities for using the mentioned transition density to description of inelastic $α$-scattering are d…
We present a review of the recent progress of theoretical models on the description of the formation of superheavy nuclei in collisions of heavy systems. Two sorts of reactions that are the fusion-evaporation mechanism and the massive damped collisions to produce superheavy nuclei are discussed. Problems and further improvements of the capture of colliding partners, the formation of compound nucleus and the de-excitation process are pointed out. Possible combinations in the synthesis of the gap of the cold fusion and $^{48}$Ca induced reactions are proposed by the calculations based on the din…
In this work, the $β$-stable region for Z $\geq$ 90 is proposed. The calculated $β$-stable nuclei in the $β$-stable region are in good agreement with the ones obtained by Möller \emph{et al}.. The half-lives of the nuclei close to the $β$-stable region are calculated and the competition between $α$-decay and $β$-decay is systematically investigated. The calculated half-lives and the suggested decay modes are well in line with the experimental results. The predictions for half-lives and decay modes of the nuclei with Z = 107$-$110 are presented.
We extend the correlated basis functions theory (CBF) for nuclei with different number of protons and neutrons and in j-j coupling scheme. By means of the Fermi hypernetted chain integral equations, in conjunction with the single operator chain approximation (FHNC/SOC), we evaluate the ground state and the one-body densities for 40Ca, 48Ca and 208Pb nuclei. The realistic Argonne V8' two-nucleon potentials has been used. We compare the ground-state properties of these nuclei calculated by using correlation functions with and without tensor components.
The dependence of fusion cross section on the isotopic composition of colliding nuclei is analysed within the dinuclear system concept for compound nucleus formation. Probabilities of fusion and surviving probabilities, ingredients of the evaporation residue cross sections, depend decisively on the neutron numbers of the dinuclear system. Evaporation residue cross sections for the production of actinides and superheavy nuclei, listed in table form, are discussed and compared with existing experimental data. Neutron-rich radioactive projectiles are shown to lead to similar fusion cross sections…
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.
In very high energy collisions nuclei are practically transparent to each other but produce very hot, nearly baryon-free, matter in the so-called central rapidity region. The energy in the central rapidity region comes from the kinetic energy of the colliding nuclei. We calculate the energy and rapidity loss of the nuclei using the color glass condensate model. This model also predicts the excitation energy of the nuclear fragments. Using a space-time picture of the collision we calculate the baryon and energy densities of the receding baryonic fireballs. For central collisions of gold nuclei …
The multinucleon transfer reactions in collisions of $^{136}$Xe+$^{198}$Pt at incident energies $E_{\textrm{lab}}=$5.25, 6.20, 7.98, 10.0, and 15.0 MeV/nucleon are investigated by using the improved quantum molecular dynamics model. It is found that 6.20 MeV/nucleon is the optimal incident energy for producing the neutron-rich heavy nuclei. About 80 unknown neutron-rich nuclei might be produced in this reaction with cross sections from 10$^{-6}$ to 10$^{-2}$ mb. The angular distributions of the neutron-rich isotopes are predicted.
The application of the Correlated basis function theory and of the Fermi hypernetted chain technique, to the description of the ground state of medium-heavy nuclei is reviewed. We discuss how the formalism, originally developed for symmetric nuclear matter, should be changed in order to describe finite nuclear systems, with different number of protons and neutrons. This approach allows us to describe doubly closed shell nuclei by using microscopic nucleon-nucleon interactions. We presents results of numerical calculations done with two-nucleon interactions of Argonne type,implemented with thre…
Exotic cluster decay of very heavy nuclei has been studied in the microscopic Super-Asymmetric Fission Model. Relativistic Mean Field model with the force FSU Gold has been employed to obtain the densities of the cluster and the daughter nuclei. The microscopic nuclear interaction DDM3Y1, which has an exponential density dependence, and the Coulomb interaction have been used in the double folding model to obtain the potential between the cluster and the daughter. Half life values have been calculated in the WKB approximation and the spectroscopic factors have been extracted. The latter values …
Using semiclassical approximation we consider parity nonconservation (PNC) averaged over compound resonances. We demonstrate that the result of the averaging crucially depends on the properties of residual strong nucleon-nucleon interaction. Natural way to elucidate this problem is to investigate experimentally PNC spin rotation with nonmonachromatic neutron beam: $E \sim ΔE \sim 1MeV$. Value of the effect can reach $ψ\sim 10^{-5}-10^{-4}$ per mean free path.
The low-energy isoscalar dipole response of heavy spherical nuclei is studied by using a semiclassical model, based on the solution of the linearized Vlasov kinetic equation for finite Fermi systems. In this translation-invariant model the excitations of the center of mass motion are exactly separated from the internal ones. The low-energy dipole strength function displays three resonance structures in the energy region up to 15 MeV. Calculations of the velocity fields associated with the resonance structures at the centroid energies show a vortex (toroidal) character of two overlying resonanc…
The concept of heavy particle radioactivity (HPR) is changed to allow emitted particles with Z_e>28 from parents with Z>110 and daughter around 208Pb. Calculations for superheavy (SH) nuclei with Z=104-124 are showing a trend toward shorter half-lives and larger branching ratio relative to alpha decay for heavier SHs. It is possible to find regions in which HPR is stronger than alpha decay. The new mass table AME11 and the theoretical KTUY05 and FRDM95 masses are used to determine the released energy. For 124 we found isotopes with half-lives in the range of ns to ps.
A systematic study of 160 heavy and super-heavy nuclei is performed in the Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov approach with the finite range and density dependent Gogny force with the D1S parameter set. We show calculations in several approximations: with axially symmetric and reflexion symmetric wave functions, with axially symmetric and non-reflexion symmetric wave functions and finally some representative examples with triaxial wave functions are also discussed. Relevant properties of the ground state and along the fission path are thoroughly analyzed. Fission barriers, Q$_α$-factors and lifetimes wit…
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.
The microscopic calculation of nuclear level densities in the presence of correlations is a difficult many-body problem. The shell model Monte Carlo method provides a powerful technique to carry out such calculations using the framework of the configuration-interaction shell model in spaces that are many orders of magnitude larger than spaces that can be treated by conventional methods. We present recent applications of the method to the calculation of level densities and their collective enhancement factors in heavy nuclei. The calculated level densities are in close agreement with experiment…
Inter-band B(E2) transition strengths between different normal parity bands in 163Dy and 165Er are described using the pseudo-SU(3) model. The Hamiltonian includes Nilsson single-particle energies, quadrupole-quadrupole and pairing interactions with fixed, parametrized strengths, and three extra rotor terms used to fine tune the energy spectra. In addition to inter-band transitions, the energy spectra and the ground state intra-band B(E2) strengths are reported. The results show the pseudo-SU(3) shell model to be a powerful microscopic theory for a description of the normal parity sector in he…
The pseudo SU(3) approach is used to describe low lying states and BE(2) intensities of rare earth and actinide nuclei which are double beta decay candidates. The double beta half lives of some of these nuclei to the ground and excited states of the final ones are evaluated for both the two and zero neutrino emitting modes. The existence of selection rules which strongly restrict the decays is discussed. These restrictions represent a possible test of the model. Up to now the predictions are in good agreement with the available experimental data.
The dynamics of nucleon transfer processes in heavy-ion collisions is investigated within the dinuclear system model. The production cross sections of nuclei in the reactions $^{136}$Xe+$^{208}$Pb and $^{238}$U+$^{248}$Cm are calculated and the calculations are in good agreement with the experimental data. The transfer cross sections for the $^{58}$Ni+$^{208}$Pb reaction are calculated and compared with the experimental data. We predict the production cross sections of neutron-rich nuclei $^{165-168}$Eu, $^{169-173}$Tb, $^{173-178}$Ho, and $^{181-185}$Yb based on the reaction $^{176}$Yb+$^{238…
Correlations between the thickness of the neutron skin in finite nuclei and the nuclear matter symmetry energy are studied in the Skyrme Hartree-Fock model. From the most recent analysis of the isospin diffusion data in heavy-ion collisions based on an isospin- and momentum-dependent transport model with in-medium nucleon-nucleon cross sections, a value of $L=88\pm 25$ MeV for the slope of the nuclear symmetry energy at saturation density is extracted, and this imposes stringent constraints on both the parameters in the Skyrme effective interactions and the neutron skin thickness of heavy nucl…
Using a new approximate analytic parameter-free proxy-SU(3) scheme, we make predictions of shape observables for deformed nuclei, namely beta and gamma deformation variables, and compare these with empirical data and with predictions by relativistic and non-relativistic mean-field theories.
