Reactions are an important tool to study nuclear structure and for extracting reactions relevant for astrophysics. In this paper we focus on deuteron induced reactions which can provide information on neutron shell evolution as well as neutron capture cross sections. We review recent work on the systematic comparison of the continuum discretized coupled channel method, the adiabatic wave approximation and the Faddeev momentum-space approach. We also explore other aspects of the reaction mechanism and discuss in detail difficulties encountered in the calculations.
Rare isotopes are most often studied through nuclear reactions. Nuclear reactions can be used to obtain detailed structure information but also in connection to astrophysics to determine specific capture rates. In order to extract the desired information it is crucial to have a reliable framework that describes the reaction process accurately. A few recent developments for transfer and breakup reactions will be presented. These include recent studies on the reliability of existing theories as well as effort to reduce the ambiguities in the predicted observables.
Taking into account more accurately the isospin dependence of nucleon-nucleon interactions in the in-medium many-body force term of the Gogny effective interaction, new expressions for the single nucleon potential and the symmetry energy are derived. Effects of both the spin(isospin) and the density dependence of nuclear effective interactions on the symmetry potential and the symmetry energy are examined. It is shown that they both play a crucial role in determining the symmetry potential and the symmetry energy at supra-saturation densities. The improved single nucleon potential will be usef…
A novel pathway for the formation of multi-particle-multi-hole (np-mh) excited states in rare isotopes is reported from highly energy- and momentum-dissipative inelastic-scattering events measured in reactions of an intermediate-energy beam of 38Ca on a Be target. The negative-parity,complex-structure final states in 38Ca were observed following the in-beam gamma-ray spectroscopy of events in the 9Be(38Ca,38Ca+gamma)X reaction in which the scattered projectile lost longitudinal momentum of order p = 700 MeV/c. The characteristics of the observed final states are discussed and found to be consi…
Using an isospin- and momentum-dependent transport model we study near-threshold pion production in heavy-ion collisions induced by radioactive beams at the planned Rare Isotope Accelerator (RIA). We revisit the question of probing the high density behavior of nuclear symmetry energy $E_{sym}(ρ)$ using the $π^-/π^+$ ratio. It is found that both the total and differential $π^-/π^+$ ratios remain sensitive to the $E_{sym}(ρ)$ when the momentum-dependence of both the isoscalar and isovector potentials are consistently taken into account. Moreover, the multiplicity and spectrum of $π^-$ mesons are…
Nuclear reactions in stars are difficult to measure directly in the laboratory at the small astrophysical energies. In recent years indirect methods with rare isotopes have been developed and applied to extract low-energy astrophysical cross sections.
Producing rare isotopes through statistical multifragmentation is investigated using the Mekjian method for exact solutions of the canonical ensemble. Both the initial fragmentation and the the sequential decay are modeled in such a way as to avoid Monte Carlo and thus provide yields for arbitrarily scarce fragments. The importance of sequential decay, exact particle-number conservation and the sensitivities to parameters such as density and temperature are explored. Recent measurements of isotope ratios from the fragmentation of different Sn isotopes are interpreted within this picture.
In this review article we discuss the present status of direct nuclear reactions and the nuclear structure aspects one can study with them. We discuss the spectroscopic information we can assess in experiments involving transfer reactions, heavy-ion-induced knockout reactions and quasifree scattering with (p,2p), (p,pn), and (e,e'p) reactions. In particular, we focus on the proton-to-neutron asymmetry of the quenching of the spectroscopic strength.
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory（劳伦斯伯克利国家实验室）；Florida State University（佛罗里达州立大学）；Argonne National Laboratory（阿贡国家实验室）；North Carolina State University（北卡罗来纳州立大学）；Michigan State University（密歇根州立大学）；Facility for Rare Isotope Beams（稀有同位素束流装置）
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.
Quantifying uncertainty in physics-based predictions of rare-isotope production cross sections via Bayesian-inspired model averaging across nuclear mass tables
Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, Michigan State University（稀有同位素束流设施，密歇根州立大学）
We investigate the possibilities of producing neutron-rich nuclides in projectile fission of heavy beams in the energy range of 20 MeV/nucleon expected from low-energy facilities. We report our efforts to theoretically describe the reaction mechanism of projectile fission following a multinucleon transfer collision at this energy range. Our calculations are mainly based on a two-step approach: the dynamical stage of the collision is described with either the phenomenological Deep-Inelastic Transfer model (DIT), or with the microscopic Constrained Molecular Dynamics model (CoMD). The deexcitati…
The close connection between neutrino physics and the physics explored at rare isotope facilities is explored. The duality between the Hamiltonian describing the self-interacting neutrino gas near the proto-neutron star in a core-collapse supernova and the BCS theory of pairing is elucidated. This many neutrino system is unique as it is the only many-body system driven by weak interactions. Its symmetries are discussed.
Nuclear physics facilities, like the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB), can potentially perform many nuclear mass measurements of exotic isotopes. Each measurement comes with a particular cost, both in time and money, and thus it is important to establish which mass measurements are the most informative. In this article, we show that one can use the Kullback-Leibler divergence to determine the information gained by a mass measurement. We model the information gain obtained by nuclear mass measurements from two perspectives: first from the perspective of theoretical nuclear mass models, an…
In this paper, beta-decay properties of even-even neutron-rich isotopes in the rare-earth mass region are studied within a microscopic theoretical approach based on a proton-neutron quasiparticle random-phase approximation. The underlying mean field is constructed selfconsistently from a deformed Hartree-Fock calculation with Skyrme interactions and pairing correlations to which particle-hole and particle-particle residual interactions are added. Nuclei in this mass region participate in the astrophysical rapid neutron capture process and are directly involved in the generation of the rare-ear…
We study the presence of entangled states of nucleon pairs from nuclear decays and in reactions with exotic nuclei, e.g., 11Li, or 6He. It is shown that the fingerprints of entangled states in these subsystems are visible in correlation measurements and can be accessed with present experimental techniques. This shows that not only atomic and optical systems, but also nuclear systems serve as important tools to obtain dichotomic outcomes for tests of the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox.
Effect of ground-state deformation on the Isoscalar Giant Monopole Resonance and the first observation of overtones of the Isoscalar Giant Quadrupole Resonance in rare-earth Nd isotopes
The Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) will be a world-leading laboratory for the study of nuclear structure, reactions and astrophysics. Experiments with intense beams of rare isotopes produced at FRIB will guide us toward a comprehensive description of nuclei, elucidate the origin of the elements in the cosmos, help provide an understanding of matter in neutron stars, and establish the scientific foundation for innovative applications of nuclear science to society. FRIB will be essential for gaining access to key regions of the nuclear chart, where the measured nuclear properties will ch…
We present our recent study of cross sections and angular distributions of projectile fragments from heavy-ion reactions at beam energy of 15 MeV/nucleon. We studied the production cross sections and the angular distributions of neutron-rich nuclides from collisions of a 86 Kr (15 MeV/nucleon) beam with heavy targets ( 64 Ni, 124 Sn and 238 U). Experimental data from our previous work at Texas A & M were compared with model calculations. Our calculations were based on a two-step approach: the dynamical stage of the collision was described with, first, the phenomenological Deep-Inelastic Transf…
The East Lansing Model: a Bayesian uncertainty quantified optical potential for rare isotopes
Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, Michigan State University（稀有同位素束设施，密歇根州立大学）；Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University（物理与天文学系，密歇根州立大学）
Pion energy spectra are presented for central collisions of neutron-rich 132Sn+124Sn and neutron-deficient 108Sn+112Sn systems using simulations with Boltzmann-Uehling-Uhlenbeck transport model. These calculations, which incorporate isospin-dependent mean field potentials for relevant baryons and mesons, display a sensitivity to the pion spectra that could allow significant constraints on the density dependence of the symmetry energy and its mean field potential at supra-saturation densities. The predicted sensitivity increases with the isospin asymmetry of the total system and decreases with …
We report here an empirical formalism for predicting the cross-sections of neutron-rich nuclei produced in fragmentation of relativistic \b{eta}-unstable neutron-rich projectiles in the mid-mass region. The formalism is based on the abrasion-ablation picture of the projectile fragmentation reaction. It has been shown that the formalism can accurately reproduce the experimental cross-section data for nuclei produced in the fragmentation of 132Sn. The formalism, it is shown, can also reproduce the experimental cross-sections of neutron-rich nuclei produced in the fragmentation of 129Xe fairly ac…
New measurements and reaction model calculations are reported for single neutron pickup reactions onto a fast \nuc{22}{Mg} secondary beam at 84 MeV per nucleon. Measurements were made on both carbon and beryllium targets, having very different structures, allowing a first investigation of the likely nature of the pickup reaction mechanism. The measurements involve thick reaction targets and $γ$-ray spectroscopy of the projectile-like reaction residue for final-state resolution, that permit experiments with low incident beam rates compared to traditional low-energy transfer reactions. From meas…
A systematic study of the ground-state properties of even-even rare earth nuclei has been performed in the framework of the Relativistic Mean-Field (RMF) theory using the parameter set NL-SH. Nuclear radii, isotope shifts and deformation properties of the heavier rare-earth nuclei have been obtained, which encompass atomic numbers ranging from Z=60 to Z=70 and include a large range of isospin. It is shown that RMF theory is able to provide a good and comprehensive description of the empirical binding energies of the isotopic chains. At the same time the quadrupole deformations $β_{2}$ obtained…
Within the framework of the dinuclear system model, the reaction mechanisms for synthesizing target-like isotopes from Bk to compound nuclei Lv are thoroughly investigated in complete and incomplete fusion reaction of $^{48}$Ca +$^{248}$Cm around Coulomb barrier energies. Production cross-section of $^{292,293}$Lv as a function of excitation energy in fusion-evaporation reactions and target-like isotopic yields in multinucleon transfer reactions are evaluated, in which a statistical approach is used to describe the decay process of excited nuclei. The available experimental data can be reprodu…
Inspired by the newly discovered isomeric states in the rare-earth neutron-rich nuclei, high-$K$ isomeric states in neutron-rich samarium and gadolinium isotopes are investigated within the framework of the cranked shell model (CSM) with pairing correlation treated by a particle-number-conserving (PNC) method. The experimental multi-particle state energies and moments of inertia are reproduced quite well by the PNC-CSM calculations. A remarkable effect from the high-order deformation $\varepsilon_{6}$ is demonstrated. Based on the occupation probabilities, the configurations are assigned to th…
The question of how the scattering cross section changes when the spectra of the colliding nuclei have low-excitation particle-emitting resonances is explored using a multi-channel algebraic scattering (MCAS) method. As a test case, the light-mass nuclear target 8Be, being particle-unstable, has been considered. Nucleon-nucleus scattering cross sections, as well as the spectra of the compound nuclei formed, have been determined from calculations that do, and do not, consider particle emission widths of the target nuclear states. The resonant character of the unstable excited states introduces …
In an effort to understand the magical status of N=32 and N=34 at the very neutron rich edge, experiments have been carried out in the Titanium isotopes up to A=56. The measured staggering of the B(E2)'s is not reproduced by the shell model calculations using the best effective interactions. We argue that this may be related to the choice of the isovector effective charge and to the value of the N=34 neutron gap.
Background: The $γ$ vibrational mode of excitation is an acknowledged collective mode in deformed nuclei. The collectivity depends on the details of the shell structure around the Fermi levels, in particular the presence of the orbitals that have the enhanced transition matrix elements of the non-axial quadrupole excitation. Quite recently, a sudden decrease in the excitation energy of the $γ$ vibration was observed at RIKEN RIBF for the neutron-rich Dy isotopes at $N=106$. Purpose: In the present work, by studying systematically the microscopic structure of the $γ$ vibration in the neutron-ri…
Producing and Studying Rare Isotopes in $e+A$ Collisions at the Electron-Ion Collider
Texas Southern University（德克萨斯南方大学）；Michigan State University（密歇根州立大学）；Stony Brook University（石溪大学）；Brookhaven National Laboratory（布鲁克海文国家实验室）；Mississippi State University（密西西比州立大学）；University of South Carolina（南卡罗来纳大学）；Morgan State University（摩根州立大学）
Shell evolution is studied in the neutron-rich silicon isotopes 36,38,40 Si using neutron single-particle strengths deduced from one-neutron knockout reactions. Configurations involving neutron excita- tions across the N = 20 and N = 28 shell gaps are quantified experimentally in these rare isotopes. Comparisons with shell model calculations show that the tensor force, understood to drive the col- lective behavior in 42 Si with N = 28, is already important in determining the structure of 40 Si with N = 26. New data relating to cross-shell excitations provide the first quantitative support for …
The rare-earth peak in the $r$-process abundance pattern depends sensitively on both the astrophysical conditions and subtle changes in nuclear structure in the region. This work takes an important step elucidating the nuclear structure and reducing the uncertainties in $r$-process calculations via precise atomic mass measurements at the JYFLTRAP double Penning trap. $^{158}$Nd, $^{160}$Pm, $^{162}$Sm, and $^{164-166}$Gd have been measured for the first time and the precisions for $^{156}$Nd, $^{158}$Pm, $^{162,163}$Eu, $^{163}$Gd, and $^{164}$Tb have been improved considerably. Nuclear struct…
This is an exciting time for the study of r-process nucleosynthesis. Recently, a neutron star merger GW170817 was observed in extraordinary detail with gravitational waves and electromagnetic radiation from radio to gamma rays. The very red color of the associated kilonova suggests that neutron star mergers are an important r-process site. Astrophysical simulations of neutron star mergers and core collapse supernovae are making rapid progress. Detection of both, electron neutrinos and antineutrinos from the next galactic supernova will constrain the composition of neutrino-driven winds and pro…
A systematic study of isotope chains in the rare--earth region is presented. For the chains (144-154)Nd, (146-160)Sm, (148-162)Gd, and (150-166)Dy, energy levels, E2 transition rates, and two--neutron separation energies are described by using the most general (up to two--body terms) IBM Hamiltonian. For each isotope chain a general fit is performed in such a way that all parameters but one are kept fixed to describe the whole chain. In this region nuclei evolve from spherical to deformed shapes and a method based on catastrophe theory, in combination with a coherent state analysis to generate…
Knowledge on nuclear cluster physics has increased considerably as nuclear clustering remains one of the most fruitful domains of nuclear physics, facing some of the greatest challenges and opportunities in the years ahead. The occurrence of "exotic" shapes in light N=Z alpha-like nuclei and the evolution of clustering from stability to the drip-lines are being investigated more and more accurately both theoretically and experimentally. Experimental progresses in understanding these questions were recently examined and will be further revisited in this introductory talk: clustering aspects are…
The electric dipole polarizabilities of $^3$H, $^3$He, and $^4$He are calculated directly using the Schrödinger equation with the latest generation of two- and three-nucleon interactions. These polarizabilities are necessary in order to obtain accurate nuclear-polarization corrections for transitions involving S-waves in one- and two-electron atoms. Our results are compared to previous results, and it is shown that direct calculations of the electric polarizability of $^4$He using modern nuclear potentials are smaller than published values calculated using experimental photoabsorption data. Th…
The role of the tensor part of the nuclear interaction is actively investigated in recent years due to experimental advancement yielding new data in nuclei far from the $β$-stability line. In this article we study the effect of this part of the nuclear interaction on deformed neutron magic numbers in the rare-earth region within the Skyrme energy-density functional for various TIJ \cite{lesinski:2007} parametrizations. Two quantities signaling magic numbers are considered: two-neutron separation energies and single-particle energies. They are calculated in isotopic series involving well-deform…
We predict the limits of existence of atomic nuclei, the proton and neutron drip lines, from the light through medium-mass regions. Starting from a chiral two- and three-nucleon interaction with good saturation properties, we use the valence-space in-medium similarity renormalization group to calculate ground-state and separation energies from helium to iron, nearly 700 isotopes in total. We use the available experimental data to quantify the theoretical uncertainties for our ab initio calculations towards the drip lines. Where the drip lines are known experimentally, our predictions are consi…
Current status of experimental investigations of rare single beta decays (48Ca, 50V, 96Zr, 113Cd, 113mCd, 115In, 123Te, 180mTa, 222Rn) is reviewed. Nuclei which decay through single beta decay very often constitute backgrounds in studies of rare effects like double beta decay, solar neutrinos or dark matter. Summary of correction factors used in description of forbidden beta decays is also briefly given.
A systematic study of the temperature dependence of the shapes and pairing gaps of some isotopes in the rare-earth region is made in the relativistic Hartree-BCS theory. Thermal response to these nuclei is always found to lead to a phase transition from the superfluid to the normal phase at a temperature $T_Δ\sim 0.4 - 0.8$ MeV and a shape transition from prolate to spherical shapes at $T_c\sim 1.0 - 2.5$ MeV. These shape transition temperatures are appreciably higher than the corresponding ones calculated in the non-relativistic framework with the pairing plus quadrupole interaction. Study of…
The phase transition of nuclei to increasing angular momentum (or spin) and excitation energy is one of the most fundamental topics of nuclear structure research. The odd-N nuclei with A equal 160 are widely considered belonging to the well-deformed region, and their excitation spectra are energetically favored to exhibit the rotational characteristics. In the present work, however, there is evidence indicating that the nuclei can evolve from rotation to vibration along the yrast lines while increasing spin. The simple method, named as E-Gamma Over Spin (E-GOS) curves, would be used to discern…
We study the sensitivity of the r-process abundance pattern to neutron capture rates along the rare earth region (A~150 to A~180). We introduce the concepts of large nuclear flow and flow saturation which determine the neutron capture rates that are influential in setting the rare earth abundances. We illustrate the value of the two concepts by considering high entropy conditions favorable for rare earth peak production and identifying important neutron capture rates among the rare earth isotopes. We also show how these rates influence nuclear flow and specific sections of the abundance patter…
The neutron-rich 6He and 8He isotopes exhibit an exotic nuclear structure that consists of a tightly bound 4He-like core with additional neutrons orbiting at a relatively large distance, forming a halo. Recent experimental efforts have succeeded in laser trapping and cooling these short-lived, rare helium atoms, and have measured the atomic isotope shifts along the 4He-6He-8He chain by performing laser spectroscopy on individual trapped atoms. Meanwhile, the few-electron atomic structure theory, including relativistic and QED corrections, has reached a comparable degree of accuracy in the calc…
With the Wigner Function Moments (WFM) method the scissors mode of the actinides and rare earth nuclei are investigated. The unexplained experimental fact that in $^{232}$Th a double hump structure is found finds a natural explanation within WFM. It is predicted that the lower peak corresponds to an isovector spin scissors mode whereas the higher lying states corresponds to the conventional isovector orbital scissors mode. The experimental situation is scrutinized in this respect concerning practically all results of $M1$ excitations.
For the past several years, a major effort has been undertaken at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) to develop the transport code MCNP6, the latest LANL Monte-Carlo transport code representing a merger and improvement of MCNP5 and MCNPX. We emphasize a description of the latest developments of MCNP6 at higher energies to improve its reliability in calculating rare-isotope production, high-energy cumulative particle production, and a gamut of reactions important for space-radiation shielding, cosmic-ray propagation, and accelerator applications. We present several examples of validation and…
The accuracy of the current generation of cosmic-ray (CR) experiments, such as AMS-02, PAMELA, CALET, and ISS-CREAM, is now reaching $\sim$1--3\% in a wide range in energy per nucleon from GeV/n to multi-TeV/n. Their correct interpretation could potentially lead to discoveries of new physics and subtle effects that were unthinkable just a decade ago. However, a major obstacle in doing so is the current uncertainty in the isotopic production cross sections that can be as high as 20--50\% or even larger in some cases. While there is a recently reached consensus in the astrophysics community that…
