Neutron-skin thicknesses provide a sensitive probe of the isovector sector of the nuclear equation of state and its density dependence, commonly characterized by the symmetry-energy slope parameter L. A wide variety of experimental and observational methods have been used to extract neutron skins, ranging from hadronic and electromagnetic probes of finite nuclei to inferences from neutron-star observations. Each approach carries distinct theoretical and systematic uncertainties, complicating global interpretations and obscuring genuine physical trends. In this work we present a hierarchical Bayesian framework for the statistically consistent synthesis of heterogeneous neutron-skin constraints. The neutron-skin thickness is modeled as a smooth latent function of isospin asymmetry and nuclear size, while method-dependent bias parameters and intrinsic nuisance widths are introduced to account for unmodeled experimental and theoretical systematics. Focusing on the tin isotopes, we infer probabilistic neutron-skin trends from 100Sn to 140Sn, finding minimal uncertainties near stability and increasing uncertainties toward the proton-rich and neutron-rich extremes. We assess the consistency of nuclear energy-density functionals and obtain conditional constraints on the symmetry-energy parameters. The resulting posterior exhibits a pronounced compression of the symmetry-energy slope parameter L, reflecting the dominant sensitivity of neutron skins to sub-saturation symmetry pressure. We demonstrate that our hierarchical Bayesian framework provides robust and transparent constraints on the sub-saturation isovector sector of the nuclear equation of state.
Available experimental neutron skin thicknesses of even-even stable Ca, Ni, Sn, Pb, and Cd isotopes are evaluated, and separate trends of neutron skin thickness versus relative neutron excess $δ=(N-Z)/A$ are firstly observed for different isotopic chains. This phenomenon is quantitatively reproduced by the deformed Skyrme Hartree-Fock $+$ BCS model with SLy4 force.
The neutron-skin thickness of asymmetric semi-infinite nuclear matter is shown to be a function of Coulomb energy, the asymmetry-energy coefficient($J$), the slope($L$) of the asymmetry energy, and the incompressibility coefficient, in addition to he Fermi momentum and the asymmetry parameter. The relational formula is derived on the basis of the Hugenholtz-Van Hove theorem in the mean-field approximation for nuclear matter. Using the formula as a guide, the neutron-skin thickness($δR$) in $^{208}$Pb is examined. The linear correlation between $L$ and $δR$ appears as a kind of spurious ones th…
In the present work, we use a finite range effective interaction to calculate the neutron skin thickness in $^{48}$Ca and correlate these quantities with the parameters of nuclear symmetry energy. Available experimental data on the neutron skin thickness in $^{48}$Ca are used to deduce information on the density slope parameter and the curvature symmetry parameter of the nuclear symmetry energy at saturation and at subsaturation densities. We obtained the constraints such as $54.5\leq L(ρ_0) \leq 97.5$ MeV and $47.3\leq L(ρ_c) \leq 57.1$ MeV for the density slope parameter. The constraints on …
We use a finite range simple effective interaction to construct nuclear equations of state for the study of the density dependence of the nuclear symmetry energy. The EoSs provide good descriptions of the nuclear symmetry energy at a subsaturation density $ρ_c=0.11$ fm$^{-3}$ and at a density around two times the saturation density $ρ_0$. We obtain a correlation between the neutron skin thickness in $^{208}$Pb and the density slope parameter at the subsaturation density. A linear relation is obtained between the neutron skin thickness and the parameter $β^{\prime}=\frac{L(ρ_c)}{3E_s(ρ_0)}$, wh…
[Background] We constructed the Kyushu chiral $g$-matrix and confirmed its reliability at $30 \lesssim E_{\rm in} \lesssim 100 $~MeV and $250 \lesssim E_{\rm in} \lesssim 400$~MeV for $^{12}$C scattering. Reaction cross section data of $^{4}$He scattering are available for some nuclides including $^{208}$Pb. PREX II collaboration reported a thick neutron skin for $^{208}$Pb. [Purpose] Our purpose is to deduce neutron skin thicknesses of $^{208}$Pb and some other nuclides from reaction cross sections calculated in terms of the double folding model with the $g$-matrix. [Methods] We fold the $g$-…
Direct hard photon emissions from incoherent proton-neutron bremsstrahlung in collisions of the neutron-rich projectile $^{50}$Ca with $^{12}$C and $^{40}$Ca targets are simulated in the framework of the isospin-dependent quantum molecular dynamics (IQMD) model. By adjusting the diffuseness parameter of neutron density in the droplet model to obtain different neutron skin thicknesses for $^{50}$Ca, the effects of neutron skin thickness on direct hard photon emission are investigated via several probes. The results show that more direct hard photons are produced with increasing neutron skin thi…
Revisiting neutron-skin thickness and dipole polarizability constraints on the symmetry energy in Antisymmetrized Molecular Dynamics
China Institute of Atomic Energy(中国原子能科学研究院);Tohoku University(东北大学);Guangxi Normal University(广西师范大学);Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences(中国科学院近代物理研究所)
The correlation between neutron skin-thickness of a neutron-rich nucleus and slope parameter of symmetry energy is assessed as a function of density using relativistic mean field models containing non-linear couplings among different mesons. Models with larger skin were found to probe the slope parameter even at suprasaturation densities, whereas models with smaller skin were observed to be sensitive only at specific subsaturation density, connected to the average density of nuclei. Possible reasons behind this density dependence are explored systematically. These results might be model specif…
Probing the neutron-skin thickness through $J/ψ$ photoproduction in ultra-peripheral collisions
Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences(中国科学院上海应用物理研究所);University of Chinese Academy of Sciences(中国科学院大学);Fudan University(复旦大学);East China Normal University(华东师范大学)
The YGLO (Yang-Grasso-Lacroix-Orsay) functional is applied for the first time to investigate ground-state properties of different isotopic chains, from Oxygen to Lead. Mean-field Hartree-Fock calculations are carried out to analyze global trends for separation energies, binding energies, radii, neutron skins, and density profiles. We have three objectives: i) we study whether this functional leads to a reasonable description of ground-state properties (despite the fact that it was not adjusted on nuclei) and we discuss the associated limitations; ii) we investigate whether the correct descript…
Background: Coherent π0 photoproduction on heavy nuclei has been suggested as a reliable tool to infer neutron skin thicknesses. To this aim, various experiments have been performed, especially on 208Pb. Purpose: We analyze the sensitivity of that reaction process to the nucleonic density, and especially to the neutron skin thickness, for 12C, 40Ca and 208Pb, for which reliable data exist, and on 116,124Sn, for which measurements have been performed in Mainz. We study also the role played by the π0-nucleus final-state interaction. Method: A model of the reaction is developed at the impulse app…
In these proceedings, we present the measurements of neutron skin thickness and nuclear deformation using isobar $^{96}_{44}$Ru+$^{96}_{44}$Ru and $^{96}_{40}$Zr+$^{96}_{40}$Zr collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{\rm NN}}}=200$ GeV by the STAR detector. The significant deviations from unity of the isobar ratios of elliptic flow $v_{2}$, triangular flow $v_{3}$, mean $p_{\rm T}$ fluctuations $\langleδp_{\rm T}^{2}\rangle/\langle p_{\rm T}\rangle^{2}$, and asymmetric cumulant ${\rm ac}_{2}\{3\}$ indicate large differences in their quadrupole and octuple deformations. The significant deviations of the isob…